The Great Crusade
by CCommons
Summary: "They are not the stories I was told." Chelsea Jones wasn't necessarily hiding from her grandfather's stories; she was moreso looking to surpass them. Having Howling Commando in your blood put a lot of unwanted eyes on you... Steve/OC/Bucky
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

 **Recovery**

* * *

" _How far are you from the target?"_

Tight spaces didn't suit her too well, and it was hot. Her body contorted strangely to fit into the ventilation system and she could hear a fan somewhere in the distance, feel it rumbling the tubing, but it was hardly helping her situation. A bead of sweat ran between hazel eyes and dripped off a round nose. "I'm above it."

" _Crusade, we don't have all day."_

"Well, given that i'm halfway around the world and it's night here." she paused to fiddle with some equipment, "I have more time than you'd think."

There was a sigh. The transmitter in her ear crackled, _"_ _We need that information. We can_ _'_ _t allow anyone who isn't Shield to figure out that alien tech._ _"_

The woman looked down into the dark room and lowered a line, "You sent me for a reason. I'll get it and bring it home."

She eased into the room from the open ventilation, upside down, hands outstretched. With a slight weight adjustment she eased to a stop before one of the computers and quickly ejected a tiny card. She tucked it into her leotard and whispered, "Target acquired."

" _Get out of there. ETA on extraction is three minutes."_

Another weight shift would trigger her rigging to pull her back up to the metal tubing. But it wouldn't budge, "Shit."

" _Two minutes thirty seconds Crusade, what's the problem?"_

"No problem." she pulled a knife off the belt around her middle, "Not yet anyway."

She cut the rope and landed on the floor in complete silence, on the balls of her feet and the tips of her fingers. Almost like a feline. But despite her silent landing the pressure pads on the floor picked up the buck twenty-five weight difference and alarms began to blare loudly. "Tell my ride not to land."

" _Are those alarms? Dammit Crusade, in and out in complete silence!"_

Her words came in short puffs as she ran down the hall, "Guard timing told me that one would be passing the room in one minute. If I was still hanging there, he would have seen me."

" _Where is he now?"_

She detached a small baton from her thigh, it sparked on both ends as its length extended from one foot to two. A jab in the neck dropped the Japanese guard like a rock, "Sleeping."

" _A minute fourty-five Crusade. You need to get to the roof."_

"I'll be there. You just make sure the pilot doesn't land."

"Hei! Anata! Sugu soko o teishi!" A guard feebly held up his hand as if such a gesture would stop the nimble woman.

She held her baton above her head and so both ends faced the walls of the hallway. She pressed the release and it extended again. Digging in just enough to allow her to lift her body weight high enough to make it over the man. She disengaged instantly, landed, and flicked one end of the now five foot pole up and back in an arching motion, catching him in the chin. He twitched on the floor at the hands of the high voltage the blow delivered while Chelsea disappeared through a door labeled in kanji for roof access.

"This place is awfully thin on guards."

" _Why would you say that? Anytime anyone says something like that_ _–"_

Her Op Manager was right, between her and the east facing side of the building were five men who looked a lot less feeble than the two she'd already taken out. She shortened her baton and put it back at her thigh, "How close is my ride?"

" _Fifteen seconds."_

"I need them on the west side of the building."

" _Extraction, agent needs EVAC on west side, helipad deck. I repeat, agent requesting EVAC from the west side of the tower."_

" _Roger that."_

"No need to come all the way up!" Chelsea turned on her heels and ran in the opposite direction from the five men. Guns started going off and she felt a bullet dig into her left arm. It didn't stop her from leaping off the side of the building, habit causing it almost to look like a dancer leaping across the floor.

The blades of a small helicopter came up to meet her but the bird turned to it's side and the door slid open. She tumbled in, cracking the glass pane of the opposite door. "Are you crazy?!"

She slumped to the floor holding her arm, "No, just doing my job."

* * *

There were times, with this job, when Nicholas J. Fury felt more like a daycare provider than the director of Shield. Between super-soldiers, gods, asshole playboys, and who knew what else, someone was always crying for attention.

Then there were the normal ones, his usual agents, who weren't supposed to need babysitting, but there was always at least one. Chelsea 'Crusade' Commons was known as Agent 16 before she started completing back to back retrieval missions without a hiccup.

Until recently that is. Now, her hiccups were getting worse and worse. "Crusade."

The small crowd gathered outside the training room turned to the woman and parted as she stepped away from the glass. Her arm in a sling, but her hazel eyes bright and focused, "Yes sir?"

"You were to report to my office after being released from the medical ward."

"I was on my way sir…"

He glanced back towards the crowd who was now paying them no more mind. "Who's in the simulator?"

Chelsea glanced at her feet, "The soldier."

"Were you gawking, Crusade?" The corner of Fury's lips pulled up just a touch.

"No sir. I stopped to watch for a moment and lost track of time."

"A whole half an hour?"

She blushed, some peachy coloring visible on her caramel cheeks. "I apologize sir."

Fury started walking, her cue to follow. He pressed the button on the elevator and flipped open the black folder in his hands. "We have to make up some sort of cover story for you being caught. The Japanese are claiming that we stole their military secrets."

The woman stayed silent.

"I'm sure creating some type of inside corruption could just soil their credibility and leave us in the clear." He turned a bit to look at her, she was still staring at her feet. "Crusade, I've been having to cover up for you a lot recently. Are you losing your touch?"

"No sir. I've just been…distracted."

The elevator doors opened to the main level of the training room. It was a two story room. The upper story covered in windows for spectators to watch as simulations were carried out. Depending on the simulation, the windows had a blackout function that completely cut visibility. Inside the simulator at the moment was Steve Rogers, battling it out with computer generated french mercenaries who were even shouting obscenely corny lines at the hero in their native tongue.

"Distracted is not a state I need you in right now Crusade."

"Of course sir."

Fury watched her closely as her eyes trained on the man in the room. She watched his every move without blinking. "I think you'd be less distracted if you just talked to him."

Without averting her gaze she said, "I went through the trouble of changing my last name sir. I don't think shaking his hand and sharing war stories about my grandfather are going to do either of us any good."

"If that is how you feel." Behind this man these girls would be the death of him. Agent 13 was giving him the same run around.

"It is. I am sorry for my recent mistakes sir. It won't happen again."

"No, it won't. I'm sending you on leave."

"You can't!"

"You obviously need a break Chelsea. Take it."

The technicians in the room started clapping as the simulation in the chamber ended. With a few beeps and a hiss the door opened and the soldier exited. Her gaze flashed to him before she looked her director in the eye, "Yes sir."

Steve approached the director with a towel half pressed to his face. He caught a glimpse of a mane of curly hair entering the elevator and tried for a better look, "Sir, you never come down and see me."

"I'm well aware of what you can do Cap." he smirked and chuckled a bit, "I was accompanying one of your many fans."

* * *

"Who's there?"

Chelsea smiled down at the woman on the bed, "It's just me Aunt Peg."

"Oh…oh! Chelsea, sweetheart, what happened to your arm?"

The woman set a glass of water on the night stand for her aunt and sat in the chair by her bed, "I uh, fell."

The woman chucked some as she regarded the young woman, "You forget I know what you do sweetheart. There are no secretes here."

"Of course Aunt Peg."

Peggy Carter had children of her own, and her children now led normal lives of their own. She only had one niece though, one blood niece from her elder brother's marriage. But when good friends of hers from her years as Agent Carter had children and grandchildren, she adopted quite a few loving nieces and nephews. Chelsea noticed the longing look on her Aunt's face, "Has she been to see you?"

"No, no she hasn't." A cough had her reaching for the glass. She took a sip, feeling the younger woman's worried eyes on her. "I'm fine dear."

"If you say so." She heaved a heavy sigh and slouched in her chair.

Peggy sipped her water for a few moments longer then looked to Chelsea as if the girl had just entered the room, "Well hello dear, who are you?"

Chelsea only smiled softly at the woman and reached out for her had, "My name is Chelsea Jones, Ms. Carter. My grandfather worked with you during the war."

"Oh! Oh my you're his granddaughter. How wonderful to meet you dear."

Tears pricked the young agent's eyes, "Yes, its nice to meet you too."

A motorcycle engine could be heard through the open window. Chelsea wiped her eyes with her available hand and stood. "I have to go Mrs. Carter. It was nice meeting you."

"Have a good one dear. Come back and see me alright?"

"Of course Aunt Peg." she said it slightly under her breath as she left the room and took the stairs two at a time. The door to the small hospice opened and on her way out Chelsea almost smacked into a large chest.

She kept her head down, "Sorry sir."

"It's alright miss…" Steve watched the young woman slide sunglasses onto her face and immediately noticed the wild mane of dark chocolate curls. The same curls he caught a glimpse of in the training room.

"Excuse me!"

The woman stopped, but kept her back to the man. She appeared to take a deep breath before turning to him. Her sunglasses obscuring her face, all but a round nose and pouted lips, "Yes?"

"I haven't seen you here before, but i'm sure I've seen you somewhere else."

"I'm sure you're confused."

"Possibly. He took a step towards her, "May I know your name?"

She hesitated, "Chelsea."

Steve noticed her low comfort level and stopped approaching, instead opting for a smile and nod, "Maybe next time I can get a last name?"

Chelsea smirked, "Have a good day Captain."

Before he could say much of anything else she'd eased herself and her injured arm into the 1960's Charger parked next to his bike and took off. He started into the building but not before saying to himself, "Captain?"

* * *

 **Author's Note: I have yet to decide whether or not this story will be slow moving or not. It takes place from the end of Iron Man 3 / beginning of Agents of Shield, and will end at Age of Ultron. I will touch on both movie plots and the Agents of Shield plot (lightly). My OC is not a hero, nor will she join the avengers. Just follow her story, because I think you'll like it. (there aren't enough 'heroes' of color out there)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **Need To Know Basis**

 **A/N: This a short one. I owe you guys after this. Chapter 3 will be longer.**

* * *

"He really put you on leave."

Chelsea picked up her coffee and scoffed, "For a week, yeah. It's only been three days and i'm bored out of my skull."

"How's your arm?"

It was out of the sling, but even just sitting Sharon could see that she was holding it funny and barely using it.

"Sore. But the sling was getting to be a bit much."

"I bet."

The other woman put her cup down, "So, have you talked to him yet?"

"No. But i've been assigned to protect him."

"Protect him? Sharon, the man practically won World War II. I doubt he needs an agent's protection."

The blonde sipped her own coffee, "Well, let's say I'm there to watch him."

"What's your cover?"

"I'm a nurse."

Chelsea started to chuckle, "You, a nurse? Your bedside manner alone could kill a person."

The other woman laughed and threw a slightly balled-up napkin at her childhood friend, "Shut up."

Their chuckling died down and Chelsea sat up in her chair, "So much for introducing yourself. You have to stay undercover."

"We've been putting it off for a year, I'm sure he can wait."

Chelsea nodded, "So…I went to see Aunt Peggy. She was lucid enough to tell me you haven't been to see her."

Sharon frowned, tucking her hair behind her ear and rubbing her thumbs over the rim of her coffee cup. "I can't see her that way."

"She's your aunt, Sharon. Your flesh and blood. You owe her a chance to see your face."

"Why? So she can forget it? She's dying Chelsea, she's not the woman we grew up on stories of anymore."

Reintroducing herself every other visit was pretty painful, "But she's still here. She's all we have…besides him."

"She has her own children. You still have your mother and I have both my parents. Why do we owe her anything?"

"The two of us are where we are now because of her. Largely because of her anyway. Are you seriously telling me hearing stories about her in the beginnings of Shield aren't why you joined in the first place?"

Sharon looked down into her cup and shook her head, "I just can't see her as anything but Agent Carter."

Chelsea gave up. Sighing, "You won't let anyone at Shield call you that either."

"It's too painful to hear. I'm not her."

"I get it. I do." The woman tossed some cash on the table, "But it's hurting her."

They stood together and headed towards the street. "I know. But I just can't."

The woman fiddled with her car keys, biting her lip. "I…I almost bumped into him there, on the day I was sent on leave."

"Seriously?!"

"He claimed he'd seen me before; I'd been caught gawking earlier that day… It was a close one."

Sharon approached her car and unlocked the doors, "You? Gawking?"

"As far as Fury is concerned."

The blonde shook her head, "You missed your chance."

"It wasn't the right place anyway."

"New York wasn't the right place, Chelsea. You're running out of excuses."

"Yeah? Then what's yours?"

Sharon nodded, brows raised, "Good point."

* * *

"Mission add-on's he says. You're better suited here he says. A loud of crap…"

Commander Maria Hill looked over her sunglasses at Agent Chelsea Commons and sighed, "What are you over there muttering about? I thought you'd be happy about getting a promotion."

" _Commons, I've re-evaluated your mission outcomes and your skills and simply decided you would be better placed elsewhere."_

 _She took a deep breath, "Really? Where?"_

" _Counterintelligence."_

 _The woman sat up in her chair, "Oh." she nodded, "Not bad."_

 _Fury rolled his eyes, "I'm giving you another chance girl. Go to London and help restore Europe's faith in Shield and in the Avengers." He slid the woman a folder which she flipped open immediately, "There are a few more mission add-ons as well." he added._

"This isn't happening."

Maria crossed her arms as the two women watched agents fill a small jet with bags, "Nothing to stress about. Just a fancy party and some counterintelligence."

Chelsea kicked the asphalt, "Yeah, on the arm of Captain America."

"He's the face of our country."

"And the one person i've been successfully avoiding for eighteen months."

"It's time you stopped. Both of you."

Chelsea rolled her eyes, "Did he lecture Sharon too?"

"More or less. While she's watching him she can't reveal her real name or her purpose. But she can get to know him." a truck pulled onto the runway and stopped a few yards away. Chelsea tensed as Steve stepped out and Maria kept talking, "You have the chance to do the same. I'd take it."

"Joy, a whole eight hour plane ride to get to know someone I can google."

"Good morning ladies."

"Steve." the commander greeted.

Chelsea stuck out her hand and looked at him over her sunglasses. "Captain."

He shook her hand with a smile, "Nice to see you again."

"Alright you two." Commander Hill motioned to the small plane, "You'll arrive in Heathrow by 3pm their time, party starts at 8. You both have your mission parameters?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Yup."

She smirked and turned on her heal, "Enjoy your flight."

* * *

The awkward silence was filled with beeping and occasional sighing as Steve flipped through his mission parameters and Chelsea poked around a 3D hologram of the british museum. She isolated rooms and the studied everything from the room dimensions to the air ducts.

Steve studied her demeanor, his mission outline summarized her history at Shield but the young woman sitting cross-legged in the plush leather chair didn't seem like the calculating retrieval specialist, now counterintelligence agent, he'd read about.

But the only thing he cared about was her connection to Peggy Carter, "Miss Commons…" He started.

Chelsea glanced up at him, "You did bump into me at Ms. Carter's hospice. You aren't mistaken."

He was impressed, "And at my training?"

She smirked at that, "I just so happened to be there watching."

"Fury said you were a fan."

"Somewhat, yes." she spun her hologram and enlarged the ballroom where the party was being held.

"Do you mind if I ask why you were there?"

The woman continued her study of the room, stopping to take notes before finally giving the avenger her full attention, "At your training?"

"At Peggy's hospice."

Chelsea closed the hologram and took a deep breath, "She's my hero." It was an honest answer and Steve could see that in her features. Her green eyes trained on his own blue ones and burned with a passion for what she was saying.

His smile was bright, "She is an amazing woman."

"She is." the hologram was opened again, "But I understand you're confusion at me being there. A Shield counterintelligence agent snooping around Peggy Carter's home… Didn't sit well with you, did it?"

Steve paused to look out of the window, "I care greatly about Peggy."

The woman's stories about Steve when he was training and becoming the great icon he was were bedtime stories for Chelsea. She was infatuated with the idea of the whirlwind romance between her aunt and this man. And now, she was rather obsessed with the man himself, "I know."

"Do you mind if I ask some questions about you Miss Commons?"

"You know, we'll probably never be partnered for a mission again. And I most likely won't come across you at Shield often enough for us to worry about these _pleasant_ formalities. We're going to a party, for one night, where you get to play American Hero and I will stand on your arm and look pretty. So, Captain Rogers, I do mind."

The man nodded and returned to his folder. One thing he'd learned about these Shield agents over the past year, they only told you what they wanted you to know.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **Child's Play**

"Wow. Nice digs." Steve looked out onto the English Channel from the window in their hotel room.

"You can sight see some other time Cap. We have a party to attend."

A hissing sound made him turn from the window. Chelsea had unpacked the first case. It extended from it's base with aforementioned hiss and a panel lowered to reveal an impeccably tailored suit. The next case she opened revealed a very forties, gold evening gown.

"So the mission outline says we're intelligence gathering at this party."

The woman went about opening a few more cases; some containing mundane travel items and others contained little gadgets that beeped and lit up as their casings were opened. "Real simple Cap, just get close to someone, close enough for a hand shake." she waved a little black gadget that looked like a beeper, "And this will do the rest."

"What is it?"

"I honestly don't know." she shrugged, "But it'll feed me the data I need through this."

Steve was pretty sure that was just a woman's compact mirror. She walked over and stood next to him, before he knew it his very skimp cellphone contents flashed on the "screen" of her "compact mirror".

"Well, your average diplomat has more than five contacts..."

"I don't even know how to use this thing." he explained, referring to his Shield issue smartphone.

Chelsea smiled and returned to her unpacking. "Beside the point Cap. These diplomats keep very sensitive data and passwords on their phones. Stupid yes, but useful."

"How are we supposed to re-instill faith while tricking everyone?"

Her smile turned to a frown, "There's no such thing as trust in this profession Cap. I mean, do you trust me?"

"You're on my team. Of course I trust you."

The woman huffed, "I won't tell you you're wrong, just surprisingly naive for your age."

"How am I naive when you're the one who doesn't want to tell me anything about you."

"If anything that makes me smart. Keeps me safe."

"You think just telling me where you're from or why you joined Shield would put you in danger?"

Chelsea huffed as she hung up the dress and suit, "Baltimore, if you must know, and because I'm not the first Shield agent in my family."

Steve seemed pretty pleased with himself, "See. Not so hard. Who was here before you?"

"And more questions..."

"If I'm truly prying you don't have to answer."

The agent just stared at him for a moment before she continued unpacking cases, "I can pass?"

"Yes."

"Then pass."

"Ok." Steve joined her in unpacking although everything he opened was promptly taken from him and put in the correct place. "Where do you live now?"

"Washington D.C."

"And your parents?"

Again she eyed him, "My mother still lives in Baltimore."

"Your father?"

"Dead."

"How?"

"Pass."

"Ok. Fair. What do you like?"

She thought for a moment, her mouth twisted up just so while she stuck a camera above the door to the room, "Old cars and ballet."

"Do you dance?"

"Yes. It's in my cover story Cap."

The blonde did recall reading that bit. She was undercover as Anna Blackwell, a dancer with the American Ballet Company. There was a video file on his phone somewhere too... "Of course."

Chelsea felt much calmer with this approach. But she was aware that she couldn't keep passing on the deeper questions. Wait until Sharon heard she'd played twenty questions with Captain America. "What about you? What do you like?"

He smiled just a bit and shrugged, "I'm trying to figure this place out. But I still enjoy baseball, that hasn't changed, and I'd like to try dancing. Not ballet of course." He added after he noticed her eyebrow perched high.

She nodded as she headed to the bathroom with the gold dress, "My mom teaches dance. I'm sure swing is more your speed, you should check it out."

"I should."

* * *

"Alright Cap, we have to cover the whole room." Chelsea snuck a side glance at the impeccably dressed Avenger and squeezed his arm slightly tighter when she noticed his panicked expression, "Get it together Steve, it's just a party."

"I don't do well with parties."

"You can face aliens and war, but not a party? C'mon old man." she whispered.

They took the stairs slowly, with the woman feeling like she was holding the hero up by the crook of his arm. "This is easy. Just shake hands, make America sound great, apologize for Thor's mess, and done."

Steve took a deep breath, "Roger that."

The first few sets of handshakes seemed to lift the man's spirits a bit. Chelsea found herself smirking slightly as she wandered off alone to check her compact computer; data was streaming in without an issue. With a glance over her shoulder at Steve she gave him a thumbs up at the small of her bare back.

A few diplomats addressed her solely as well, being huge patrons of the arts they were thrilled to meet her, even if her cover wasn't a principle dancer. It actually made her nervous how Steve would stand nearby and smile proudly. She rubbed her nose somewhat unceremoniously to will away her smirk, "You're getting good at this."

"You were right about it being easy."

She nodded, "Nothing to it. Night is almost over."

The man sighed, "Good."

There was a crackling in both their ears as their mic's picked up some interference. Chelsea frowned deeply. These were Shield issue and normally didn't waver at the presence of simple things like cellphones or normal two-way radios. Her immediate thought was the same as Steve's; find out who else was wired.

"Event is almost over. Anyone have eyes on the hero?"

"I got him."

"Don't let him interfere."

"Gotcha."

Chelsea nudged Steve and nodded to the waiter approaching them with his gaze trained hard on the glasses on his tray. "Hello Sir. Complimentary champagne?"

Steve started to say no but Chelsea looked at him funny, he took the glass. The waiter walked away, again trying hard not to drop the tray. Chelsea took his glass and swapped it with her half empty one, "Down it." she told him.

He did just as the waiter looked over his shoulder. "Affirmative on the cocktail. We are clear."

"Artifact is in the Celtic exhibit. Everyone ready?"

"Ya'."

"Ready."

"Hit the lights."

The Captain held up four fingers and Chelsea nodded, four guys. She flipped open her compact and the last bit of data Steve's pager grabbed was from the waiter. The little computer clicked shut just as the lights were turned out. The museum security went about keeping everyone calm and started having everyone file outside until the lights could be turned back on. Chelsea grabbed Steve by the wrist and ducked into the nearest restroom, locking the door.

"They're after this." she handed him the small computer.

"A piece of paper?"

"Part of an old Celtic story that talks about the first Asgardian to choose earth over Asgard."

"There was one before Thor?"

"Seems like it, a berserker, if I only knew what that was..."

"I take it we don't have time to google it, as you all say now."

There was a snort and some zippers from the nearest stall, "No Cap, we don't. First order of business is to get the power back on; get the alarms going." Chelsea climbed the walls of the stall and removed a ceiling tile, climbing into the ventilation. She shouted down at the man, "See you at the exhibit Cap."

* * *

"This is Agent 16 requesting a patch to op command."

"One moment... patched."

Operation Command at Shield was an entire floor of directors and computer nerds who knew the whereabouts of every agent at any time. But out of everyone in that room Chelsea got the same op manager every time and she didn't even know their name.

"Crusade, what happened to gathering intelligence?"

"That pretty much went out the window when some thieves decided to go after something thats clearly "gifted" related in the museum." Gifted, it was the term Shield started giving to people who were like the Avengers.

"Thats not your area anymore. Let me call on the team that handles that stuff. I'm sure Agent Ward-"

"Agent Ward!" Chelsea hissed, "You want me to sit around and wait for Dickward? No."

"His team has been specially put together to handle this sort of thing. They're in Greenwich now, I can catch them before they leave. Which means you and Captain Rogers can return to your primary mission."

"I don't think you understand what no means."

"Agent, this mission now outranks you. Let the level sevens handle it."

"Seven!" she actually shouted, vibrating the tubing, "Dickward outranks me?"

"This conversation is over Crusade. Return to the party with Captain Rogers."

Her connection died immediately after. There was no way she was waiting for that asshole Ward and his little team. Last she checked he scored just under her or the same as her on all of the agent tests. She was just as good if not better, "Cap?"

"I'm all ears." Steve's voice came in bursts, must have been running.

She dropped out of the ceiling into one of the many security stations in the the museum, "We don't have Shield at our back right now. They want a special team in here who will miss the burglary all together."

"I say we stop them. No waiting."

With that she slammed her hand down on the emergency power button and all the monitors flickered to life. Alarms started blaring and there in the Celtic Exhibit the men where stuffing a box in a duffel bag.

"Where are you?"

"Looks like an Egyptian exhibit."

Chelsea checked the security camera's and remembered the museum layout she'd studied, "You're not gonna make it. Neither of us are."

"Don't say that."

"Just telling the truth." she left the room and sprinted down the hall, "You're almost there, but i'm closer."

Even running, her footsteps were light and the men in the exhibit didn't notice her until she was right on them. Only three by her count and there was an open window. No duffel bag in sight. "One got away!"

"I'm not leaving you against three men."

She perched herself on the shoulders of the closest man and pressed her hand against his neck. The gold ring she wore shocked him and he hit the ground, "Two men."

They came at her at the same time and she'd hoped they wouldn't be that smart. She lunged at one, effectively scaring him, and grabbed his combat vest in her hands, using his weight she swung and caught the other in the jaw with he heel. It was only enough to send him teetering backwards, but it was all she needed. She circled the one in her hands and piggy-backed him. With a grunt he slammed his back, her included, into the wall.

There was a click sound that even in her dizzy state she recognized. The silhouette of the gun was clearly being pointed over the man's opposite shoulder.

From her angle she could only do one thing. Steve came barreling down the hall just as she snapped his shoulder blade and slammed full speed into the last man, almost putting a hole through the wall where his body slumped, unconscious.

The Avenger frowned at her, "You ok?"

"I'm fine." the man writhed in agony on the floor, "I cut the feed off for the camera's in this exhibit. It recorded the burglary, but not this fight."

"Why?"

"I am undercover Cap. I have to go."

He grabbed her upper arm gently, but firm enough to stop her. "Are you ok?" he asked again.

"Steve, I'm ok. I promise."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **Swing Baby Swing**

"There is a team dealing with the missing artifact among other things. But I'm being told you were to hold back when you contacted Operation Command."

Chelsea closed her eyes to keep from glaring at her commander, "Because of us we have three suspects to question. Three suspects who otherwise would have gotten away."

"We didn't need to question them. The team lead by Agent Ward is already on the people behind this."

She clenched her fists, "There is also the issue of Agent Ward outranking me sir. Last I checked, he trailed all my scores..."

"The person who put that team together chose him specifically."

"So this person calls all the shots now?"

"In the case of that team, yes they do."

The woman wasn't satisfied, "Is there a reason you're talking to just me? I wasn't on that mission alone."

Director Fury motioned to the door, "He's out there. But it's not his performance in question here. You're the one who's been acting out lately."

She chuckled dryly, "Acting out? I'm doing my job-"

"I don't want to send you on leave again." he interrupted.

"I'd rather be fired."

"I'm not firing a legacy agent. You're good, really good, but you're not the best."

Chelsea stood up, "Neither is Ward."

Sometimes Fury wondered if these conversations where anything like trying to wrangle your own teenager, "Higher levels come with more secrets, Agent Commons. And I've come to learn that secrets are not something everyone can be trusted with."

Her chest heaved with a deep breath, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You need to learn the difference between a secret and a lie. Who you are is not a secret and who you're pretending to be is a lie not worth telling."

Chelsea bit her lip and turned for the door.

"I didn't dismiss you Agent _Jones_."

She stopped abruptly and looked over her shoulder at him, she started to say something but changed her mind and stalked to the door, swinging it open. Steve stood from his chair in the hallway and seemed confused by her expression.

"We never finished twenty questions Cap."

Fury sighed at his desk and Steve nodded, "We didn't."

"You should ask me my name."

He was lost but asked anyway, "What is your name?"

"Chelsea Jones." She turned fully to say, "You can explain to him why my lie wasn't worth telling."

* * *

"What was that about?"

Nicholas J. Fury understood why Chelsea wanted so badly to hide herself from Steve Rogers when she put it in her own words. But to him it still seemed like an unnecessary move. If it hadn't been for him, she might not have even been born. "Have a seat Cap."

The blonde sat and waited for some elaboration. When the silence went on a little longer he asked, "Is the name Jones supposed to mean something to me?"

He put his chin atop his folded hands, "Not without the first name Gabriel."

After that the hero no longer needed to think about it. The man's face flashed up immediately in Steve's memory and he was so thrown he stood up from his seat, "That's his granddaughter!"

"Yes cap. Chelsea Jones asked me to change her Shield records to become Chelsea Commons after you were unfrozen."

He sat back down, not sure whether or not to be excited that he was so close to practically all that was left of the Howling Commandos; his friends and team. "Why?"

Nick ran a hand over his face before answering, "She believed that living up to who you might expect her to be was too much. Or rather that it wasn't something she should have to deal with. She wanted to be clear that she joined Shield because of her grandfather's legacy, not yours."

"So she does hate me."

"That girl isn't truly capable of hating anyone. Not even Agent Ward."

"Who?"

"Don't worry about it. The bottom line is that she worked hard to not be treated like her only asset was her bloodline. She wanted her independence and she believed that with you awake she'd lose it."

"Did you send her on a mission with me on purpose?" Steve could smell a plot.

"Yes, I did. And I've called you in here to ask you what you saw."

Steve felt pretty put on the spot, "She was harsh...at first." Fury waited expectantly for him to continue, but he just couldn't do it, "I'm sorry. I'm finding out who she is and can't think straight."

"There isn't much to think about Captain. What would your impression be if she wasn't who she is?"

He nodded, "I saw someone i'd be glad to take with me on a real mission. I wan't to really see what she can do."

"We'll see Cap. But don't get your hopes up."

* * *

"There's a wall like this in every Shield facility, even the academies, all bearing the same names."

Steve knew he was no good at sneaking but Chelsea didn't even flinch when he approached her. It was a wonder he never noticed this wall before. It was filled with names. The woman watched him for a minute before reaching out and touching a name he'd recognize.

"Bucky." he almost pouted and she she slid her finger over a few spaces, "Your grandfather."

"He was with you when Bucky died. He told me that train story a thousand times and I still cant figure out why."

"Bucky wasn't just _my_ friend." They looked at each other long enough for her to feel awkward, nod, and sigh. Steve put a hand deep in his pocket and stood up straighter then he already had been, "I'm sure Gabriel would be very proud of where you are now."

"I know. I don't need _your_ validation, he stayed alive long enough to see me graduate academy."

The validation comment stung but he still asked, "How did he die?"

"From a broken heart." Chelsea wandered to the bench a few feet away from the wall and clasped her hands between her knees. "He got really sick when we got news that my father died in Iraq."

"I'm sorry."

"No amount of sorry changes the fact that my father resented him. Hated Shield for keeping his father from him until he was too old to reverse the bitter taste in his mouth. Stories about Shield were always told with a warning of 'don't tell your father'..." she rolled her shoulders, "And the one time I even whispered about wanting to join it was the last time it came up."

"Until he died." he filled in.

She nodded, "Yeah. I dropped out of performing arts school and told my grandfather I was joining Shield. He held it together through academy and died about a week after I graduated."

"But sorry isn't enough..."

"Cap, he idolized you, my father did too believe it or not, and so did I. Until I was called in by Fury and with a straight face he said, 'We found him'." she chuckled dryly, "I thought he meant they found your body. You'd get a proper burial maybe. But instead they took me to New York and opened the door to a room dressed up to look straight from the forties, and you were sleeping on the bed. My instant thought was that everyone would expect me to be this lifeline for you that I just couldn't be."

Her tone worked so well at helping him feel her exasperation and disbelief at the entire situation. Her expression, although pointed down at her lap, was clearly that of someone who was pretty fed up.

Steve knew what to say, "I don't expect anything from you. You're not your grandfather."

Another dry chuckle, "Thank you. I guess instead of acting like a child I could have just...talked to you..."

His deep frown broke into the tiniest of smiles and he stood from the bench, "It's understandable. Am I still invited to dance class?"

It was her turn to smile a little, "Yeah Cap. You're still invited."

* * *

"I tried mom. I did."

"You didn't try hard enough."

Chelsea looked up from sweeping the smooth floor in the empty classroom and glared at her mother's reflection in the mirrored wall, "That's not fair."

"What's not fair is how you chose to handle the situation."

"...I guess."

The older woman turned her blue eyes onto her daughter, "How do you even have time to be here right now?"

"I was demoted."

"Demoted! I'll call that Fury man myself and tell him what-for."

Chelsea almost smacked her forehead with the broom handle as she jerked up, "What? Mom no. You can't just call up the director of Shield and start yelling. That's not how this works."

"It worked before."

"No, I got sent to the desert as a result of that call. Please don't do it again."

"Fine." The door to the studio opened and the chatter of excited old women filled the hallway outside the classroom. Her mother dropped her volume a bit, "Maybe a lapse in missions will be good for you. Lord know's I'm running out of excuses for why you aren't here."

"Yeah, maybe."

"How's she doing?"

The younger woman felt a little guilty, "Oh, Aunt Peggy, I didn't stop off to see her before I left... I should have."

"It's ok hon." Sylvia Jones saw to her silver hair in the mirror and approached the leotard clad Chelsea after, tussling her curly mane, "Do something with this."

"Yes ma'am."

The excited chatter in the hall grew in volume all at once and Sylvia went out to investigate, "Hello ladies, what's going- Oh, well..." She re-entered the classroom with her visitor in tow and a huge grin on her aged face, "You have a pupil Chelsea."

The woman finally gave her mother her attention and after a quick wave of embarrassment crossed her face she smirked, "Hey Cap."

Steve rubbed the back of his head, "I would have been here sooner but some kids stopped me outside, then the ladies..."

"We don't get very many young men in here." Sylvia stood close to the hero and continued to grin at him.

"Thank you mother."

The older woman left to join the rest in the hall, chatting loudly. Chelsea closed the door behind her and moved across the room to the radio on the floor. "Get comfortable."

Steve hastily followed suit as upbeat swing pumped through the room and the woman tapped her foot impatiently. He stood awkwardly in his sweatpants and t-shirt for a moment before Chelsea finally held out her hand, giving him a smile, "Let's see what you've got old man."

* * *

"So we part from here right?"

Chelsea absently kicked a small rock and crossed her arms as Steve sat on his bike and looked at her expectantly, "We won't see too much of each other at work anyway."

"But I can just keep signing up for classes and pestering you." he suggested.

"I doubt you'll have the time."

"I'll make the time."

She took a deep a breath, "Why?"

"I would like to think we could be friends. If that's ok." He shrugged, "I don't do much else."

"Hm. Hanging out with Captain America." the young woman mocked, "Sounds unreal."

"If you call swing class and going to the gym hanging out."

"I'll think of some better stuff."

Steve started up his motorcycle and with a wave sped off. Chelsea shook her head and returned to the studio, "This will be interesting."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **S.T.A.T.I.O.N**

"Hey Sharon."

" _What is it? You sound weird._ _"_

Chelsea looked over her shoulder, checking to make sure that no one was listening to her.

She'd left the Shield building and went to a park, an open space where no one would pay her much mind. And she used a phone Shield had yet to know she had, "I need to have a family talk with you Sharon."

"…"

There was shuffling on the other end of the line. Sharon Carter and Chelsea Jones grew up side by side. They did everything together and knew everything about each other. When it came to their Shield work, they broke rules to keep each other informed and safe. Family talk was code for something big.

" _What_ _'_ _s happening?_ _"_

She took a deep breath, "Where are you?"

" _I'_ _m secure Chelsea. Tell me what's happening_ _."_

"I've been promoted."

" _To?_ _"_

"Eight."

"… _jesus._ _"_

It was a long standing urban legend in Shield that level eight operatives saw the worst there was to see in the business. So since New York, that legend has only gained more, and scarier, steam.

Sharon picked the conversation back up, _"_ _They didn_ _'_ _t skip you to eight for nothing. What happened?_ _"_

"That's the thing. It doesn't seem like anything worth a level eight advance. Something was taken from the 'STATION'. I have to go there, investigate, and find it."

" _What was taken?_ _"_

Another sigh, "The word Asgardian came up in my mission file."

The only Asgardian relic in Shield hands was a sceptor. Formerly wielded by Loki, who was promptly taken back to his home planet by Avengers member, Thor.

" _Who promoted you?_ _"_

"Fury himself. And the way he put it… like he needed me. It scared me, Sharon."

" _He chose you for a reason. I_ _'_ _m sure of it._ _"_

"Just as I'm sure something isn't right. No one just gets catapulted to level eight. Widow isn't even ranked this high..."

 _"You're thinking too hard about it."_ Sharon started.

"Am I?"

 _"...just do the job and worry about questioning it when it's over."_

She didn't like that suggestion but she didn't have any other option, "Fine. Please be careful, pay attention."

" _I always am and I always do. I_ _'_ _ve been here longer than you._ _"_

Chelsea finally relaxed enough to smirk into the phone and mock her cousin, "A year is just so long." The other woman laughed.

" _Don_ _'_ _t get cocky because you outrank me now. It_ _'_ _s not that cool._ _"_ There was a pause, _"…_ _but thank you for telling me._ _"_

A man ran past her and she looked up and over her sunglasses at him as he disappeared. "We promised each other we would."

" _Yeah._ _"_

"One more thing." the guy came around again, this time stopping and recognizing her, "Talk to him. Please."

" _Chelsea…"_

"You don't have to tell him anything…stay under cover, lie to him if you have to….but just talk to him. I have a good feeling about it."

" _Alright. I_ _'_ _ll give it a try. Be careful._ _"_

"You got it."

Steve put his hands on his hips as he approached the woman on the bench, huffing gently from his run. "Important conversation?"

She smiled, "Girl talk."

"You're early."

She stood and clapped him on the shoulder, "I'm hungry."

He chuckled, "I don't get to shower?"

The woman started walking away, "We're not going that far."

He followed her to the hotdog stand at the edge of the park and after the vendor had him sign the cart she handed him a dog, "Sorry it's not the lunch you were expecting."

Steve chewed for a moment and looked at her, "It's not a New York dog but it'll do."

She laughed, "Oh god."

"So why the earlier lunch?"

"I've been re-assigned. I leave in two hours."

He studied her face and his own fell just a little. But given the near four months they've been friendly it wasn't long enough for him to really know enough about her to tell if something was wrong. He knew she flared her nostrils slightly when she was amused… but that was about it. She was a spy, hiding was what she did best. So he decided to keep the conversation light, "Do I get to know where?"

"It's like an equipment holding facility. Boring stuff. They just need more people to take up space and do nothing."

But he knew _that_ was a lie. "And yet you seem so eager to leave me here." he teased.

"I'm not your _only_ friend Steve, c'mon."

He nodded, sure Natasha was his partner and Clint was chummy, but his relationship with Chelsea was different. Or at least he hoped so. "This seems below your rank."

She smirked and looked him in the eyes, "I'm not as high ranked as you think I am, Cap."

"Is there something you're not telling me?"

She spoke around her hotdog, "Well, I'm not allowed to tell you _everything_." she swallowed, "But you'll be the second person I contact when things change."

Steve was almost reassured, "Second? Who's the first?"

The woman chuckled as she finished her food and checked her Shield issue phone, "That, my good man, is a secret."

* * *

"Welcome to Shield Station, Agent Jones."

"Thank you."

For the most part, Station was a museum only accessible to Shield agents. It housed every iconic image, object, and outfit that had anything to do with some of the more notorious Shield missions. Her grandfather and Aunt Peggy had a hand in having some of the oldest props and images added; including Johann Schmidt's V16 Coupe and the original team photograph of the Howling Commandos.

In it's bowels though, there were labs bustling with Shield researchers and scientists. Once Shield learned everything they needed to know about an object. It joined the roster upstairs. For Science and Technology graduates the place was a playground, for Communications it was the usual job placement, and for Operations graduates like herself the place was a total bore.

She put a hand in her pocket, "Show me where the Scepter was being held."

The level five agent rambled on as his newly promoted superior followed, "It was in the lab being studied when it was taken. It hadn't been moved to it's vault yet."

"Who was studying it?"

"Mark Smith and Nicholas Cooper. Cooper was heading the research."

Her attention was on the tablet in her hand, all the information Shield had on the Scepter filled the screen. An image of Loki in the corner made her reach up and rub her eyes, suddenly uncomfortable, "I need to speak with both of them."

"Well, Cooper is dead, shot in the lab."

"And Smith?"

"Missing."

Chelsea couldn't believe how easily this would be wrapped up, "As in he did it." she poked around on the tablet for a minute, she was amazed at how much access her level afforded her. She brought up Smith's file and skimmed it. A psychological assessment caught her eye as it was given personally by Commander Hill; a level nine, just before he was assigned here. "I need the security feed for the lab from the last 48 hours."

"There isn't any."

"Excuse me?"

"Security feeds don't broadcast the labs. They're clean rooms. It keeps everything under wraps and only between the people present at the time." He ushered her into the lab where she rubbed her forehead.

"Ok. Please bring me a list of all the agents Smith spoke to while he was here. Maybe I can get some insight from them."

"Yes ma'am."

The scene hadn't been cleaned yet, but the body was gone. It looked pretty simple, no struggle whatsoever and the Scepter was just easily lifted and taken away. It was obvious Smith did it if he was the only one allowed in the lab other than Cooper when the scepter was present. She decided to go back to his file.

Maria Hill ordered his psych eval after he put in for placement on the Shield Helicarrier. Not only was he turned down, he was deemed unfit for duty and demoted from field agent to research and development.

The agent returned with a small chip that she inserted into the small tablet in her possession. The list wasn't very long, so that made it strange when all but about five of the agents had been assigned to a place called Sokovia for a peace keeping mission. The woman would need more information on those assignments.

The file for it wasn't exactly hidden, and it laid bare a hefty list of agents either already sent to Sokovia or awaiting deployment. The strangest thing was the name of a Doctor List on the file. Why was a non medical doctor being sent on a peace keeping mission with an impressive array of skilled agents?

"Was a Doctor List working here?"

"A long time ago. He was transferred to work on the tesseract project and came in a week ago to go over his notes with Agent Cooper. He didn't stay long though, he left to return to some Peace Keeper assignment he'd been sent on."

That was the thing...there were no notes here that he'd been given any clearance to leave Sokovia and come to Station.

"Did he speak with Agent Smith at all?"

"I wouldn't think so." the agent shrugged, "He didn't much care for us Research and Development types."

Chelsea was willing to bet they _did_ talk and that List somehow talked Smith into stealing the scepter and it was heading to Sokovia. "Thank you, I think I have everything I need."

The woman stalked to her small plane and immediately tried adding herself to the deployment list for Sokovia, only to be denied access. It didn't make sense. She tried another code she had been given, Director Fury's code, which was also rejected. "Some peace keeping mission this is."

Her heart started racing. Someone was trying to keep eyes off the details of this seemingly harmless mission, but _they_ didn't quite understand how The Great Crusade worked. "Where to Jones?" the pilot shouted over his shoulder.

Chelsea enlarged a map on her tablet and smirked at it, "I think i'm in the mood to visit Russia."

 **A/N** : If you're only aware of the Marvel Cinematic universe you are probably very confused. You poor things. Feel free to ask me any questions if you need clarification.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **Peace Keeper**

"Sir?" Maria Hill entered Director Fury's office with confusion all over her usually blank face.

He waved her in and sat back in his chair, "I just received a message from Agent Jones on my personal phone."

"What does it say?"

"It's coordinates sir. They put her just outside Russia. Wasn't she supposed to be investigating the incident at the Station?"  
He took the offered phone, "She is. Looks like she just found a lead. Are we tracking her?"

That's why Maria was concerned, "No sir. She deactivated it."

"Like she didn't want us to see..."

"Then why send coordinates?"

It was a good question. Why disappear then send coordinates of your location? "There has to be a reason. Hold onto those numbers, we might need them."

She nodded, still concerned but as always, task oriented, "Romanov and Rogers are being briefed on the Lumerian incident."

Fury didn't show it but Chelsea's latest stunt was worrying him too. He'd been suspicious of some things he'd seen within Shield as of late, hence her promotion and her being his choice for this mission. It was something he'd worry about when he had the time though, "Good. I want that info brought straight to me when they return."

'Yes sir."

* * *

"Chto proiskhodit?" _What's happening?_ Chelsea looked out at the crowds of people gathering in the small town square. She'd made it to Sokovia and was not expecting the riots and rubble.

"Shchit pokryvayet to, chto oni delali zdes' . Ty dolzhen idti. Eto nebezopasno." _Shield is covering up what they did here. You should go. It's not safe._ An older gentleman was standing on the outskirts of the commotion, he seemed upset and reserved.

"Kto-nibud' , chtoby pomoch' ?" _Has anyone come to help?_

"Prosto bol'she soldat , chtoby sprovotsirovat' yeshche bol'sheye nasiliye." _Just more soldiers to instigate more violence._

Chelsea's heart broke as she looked out over the crowd. People were clutching bags and children to their chests; everything they had left. Young people shouted until their faces were red and the old cried. The woman could only rub her face, "This is crazy."

"Volunteers! We need volunteers!"

She drifted towards the shouting voice. Volunteers for what? It could be for cleanup, for supplies, but when she got just close enough what she heard was disturbing. "Come with us and we can help you take back what Shield stole!"

It seemed more of the younger protestors in the crowd were interested than the older adults. Their fire more easily fanned.

"Pochemu my dolzhny doveryat' vam ?" _Why should we trust you?_ She tried to kick some dirt on said fire.

"Why should you trust anyone right now? If you choose not to trust someone who would give you power what right do you have to trust anyone, ever?" The teens mumbled together and she tried again.

"Pochemu by shchit dat' mne sily protiv sebya ?" _Why would Shield give me power against itself?_

"Because we are not Shield."

Her expression was pure confusion for just long enough that the soldier could smirk at her reaction. She took a step back but knocked into another soldier who lifted her long coat and exposed the weapons strapped to her person. She slipped out of the item before shouts to draw more soldiers to her sounded over the protesting.

She fired a single shot into the air and elicited confusion and more terror. She quickly saw the older gentleman from earlier get shoved rather harshly but she needed to ignore it and grasp her exit chance.

Not Shield?

If not Shield, then who?

Chelsea found herself crouching inside an obliterated building until shouts about finding her died down then finally stopped altogether. She slumped into the rubble then rummaged through her pocket. The Shield issue phone crumbled under her foot and she rested her head back on the cool concrete.

"What the hell do I do now?"

* * *

"Is there any chance of someone following you?"

Mark Smith didn't enjoy being approached with such greetings. Let alone by three former Shield agents who were obviously against how quickly he'd risen through the ranks here by providing the scepter. It had only been two days after all... "None."

"Then explain this."

The image he was shown was a blurry one of an agent he'd only seen in passing, "Crusade."

"We covered your tracks for you. ALL of us have been covered. So why has Agent Commons shown up?"

Smith snatched the device and glared at the image, "The only explanation is that she wasn't sent. She came her on her own."

"Following you." One of the men sneered. "You screwed up and she followed you."

"What does it matter? Fury is dead and she'll just be sending information back to our allies." Smith tried to brush it off, "We find and kill her, simple."

The three men exchanged glances amongst themselves. He was right, there wasn't much reason to panic over one woman. It didn't really change their disdain for Smith though.

He snapped his boots together and said clearly, "Hail Hydra."

They had no choice but to chorus back, "Hail Hydra."

* * *

Chelsea felt a chill run up her spine as she overheard. Hydra. While she felt like this should have been impossible, she knew nothing was. But even still, all this time Hydra was growing within her home like a fungus. Shield wouldn't be able to bounce back from this.

Then she had another thought.

She had no allies here.

The truck she was under started with a rumble and she attached herself to the undercarriage, riding along until she dropped by a crumbled building at the end of the street. Narrowly missing a guard and the wide gaze of a camera before ducking into shrubbery.

Two deep breaths and she was off again, she'd have easier access from above, so she took to climbing the ruble pressed at her back.

She could at least find out what the plan was. And if she did ever get back home, she'd at least return with information.

She'd spent the last hour counting men and casing their hideout. Twenty men were in the small, three level building at any given time and like clockwork they changed shifts, riding in on trucks and trading information. "Hey you!"

She ducked behind a large beam and pulled out her staff. She didn't hit the release to expand it though, a foot would do for now. But it still sparked on it's ends menacingly.

"Sir?"

Chelsea relaxed, he wasn't addressing her.

"Double the guard. Smith believes Agent Commons will come here looking for information." She found herself rolling her eyes, she didn't miss her fake last name.

"Yes sir Agent Basso."

"Hail Hydra."

The young agent chorused after and Chelsea stole a peek at the man. Mark Basso; she wasn't really surprised. The man had a dark sense of humor that she never found very funny.

Continuing her small climb brought her to a pile of rock high enough to be level with the second floor window. Jackpot; inside was one man and it looked like there was plenty of useful information for her to hijack.

The man inside heard a knock at the window. Way too strange for someone on the second floor so he didn't think too much of it when he walked over and opened it. He wasn't expecting 300 volts to the chest but it put him down before he could think too hard on it.

Chelsea slipped into the room, her eyes scanning the foreign area. It was dark and cold, one lightbulb in the ceiling lit the small space and there were maps and pictures pinned to the walls. Closest to her was a desk littered with paper and a computer. Her plan wasn't to mine through the computer, she didn't have time. But it started beeping and in her fit to shut it up, it notified her of a neutralized target.

 **TARGET NEUTRALIZED: Commander Nicholas J. Fury**

Her hands started to shake as she reached for the mouse, clicking the alert. She was actually surprised when it sprang to life and more details than she could handle scrolled down the screen.

Who. She needed to know who did it. Not just anyone could get close enough to _the_ Nick Fury and kill him.

"Oh my god."

"Find anything interesting Agent Commons?"

Chelsea took a deep breath and turned to her discoverer slowly and rested her butt against the desk, "Jones, asshole. My name is Agent Jones."

He chuckled, "Like your name makes a difference. How do you like our toy soldier there?"

Her gaze narrowed, "He's supposed to be dead."

"You mean he's supposed to be a good guy?"

"That too." She put her hands on the desk and tilted her head to the side. "Here to kill me or take me in?"

"Take you in, unfortunately."

The woman stuck out her bottom lip, "Poor you."

He laughed again as the door opened and six more men filed in, "No, actually, poor you."

She watched them quietly. Finally standing from the desk as the last man in closed the door. She extended her staff full length and took a deep breath, "Let's make this quick."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 **Show Me The Way...**

Maria Hill glanced at Fury, laid in a "hospital" bed and still reeling from recovering after "dying". Her expression read as one wondering if it would be alright to answer Captain Roger's question.

He wanted to know if _everyone_ was alright.

Fury nodded at her slightly and she took a deep breath, "We're still trying to gather who is where and who's on which side. It's pandemonium, we don't know for sure."

"The Avengers are trusted." The commander finally spoke, groggy and tired, "The agents here were screened before being brought in and others are undergoing the same process."

"Those we've lost track of..." the woman drifted off, unsure of how to word it carefully, "...they are unknowns for now."

"Unknowns?"

"A lot of people are missing." she answered. "Including Agent Jones."

"How can she be missing?" The blonde stood from his seat next to the commander's bed.

"She was sent to STATION for an investigation and retrieval. Later we received coordinates that led to the outskirts of Russia, then she cut communication."

It was odd, definitely. And in the commotion that ensued shortly after that discovery there was no time to speculate her actions. One agent's actions among the many under Shield's umbrella was only but so important.'

"What was she investigating?"

"I wouldn't spend too much time on it Cap. We have a job to do here. And if she's still with us, she has a job to do there."

Steve nodded and followed Hill out into the hall to discuss next moves. He had to focus on the task at hand, but he couldn't help worrying about his unaccounted for friends.

* * *

"Chelsea Jones, known also as The Great Crusade. Father, Matthew Jones. Grandfather, Gabriel Jones of the Howling Commandos...impressive. Your mother was a dancer yes? Teaches dance in Baltimore and you visit her from your home in Washington D.C. High marks in school, both your performing arts and in Shield's Operations academy..." The man continued to circle her tied form on the floor, reading from a folder about her life like she wasn't even real, "Twenty-seven successful missions, four less than stellar missions...recent too. Father was KIA in Iraq and Grandfather died of heart failure. No need to worry about your mother, she should live long enough to receive news of your death my dear."

Chelsea stayed quiet. All that information, it was in her Shield file. Information she was told could only be accessed by a level eight and higher when she joined the academy. It was information that could be trusted in the hands of such higher ranked officers.

She understood her promotion now. It was the higher levels of Shield that were planting the seed of Hydra. Fury did what he could to promote people he could trust to combat this turn; but he moved way too late.

He saw it coming.

It still didn't matter.

Still didn't really clarify why he picked her, either.

"Are you listening girl?"

"No."

She was swiftly kicked in the temple and knocked from her kneeling position. With her hands tied she hit the floor haphazardly and rolled onto her back. Her blank gaze landed on Agent Basso, the deliverer of the kick. She was dizzy and in pain but still managed, "How's your dick, Dick?"

Mark Basso glared at her, she'd whacked him several times in the groin with that damn spark stick of hers in her effort to escape their smaller facility earlier.

"Agent Basso would you be so kind as to leave her in one piece for a while longer?"

The man stormed off somewhere and in following him with her blurry vision she took in her surroundings. A dark, almost cave-like building. There were men bustling about and agents at every door. She took the chance to glance over her shoulder at cells and wasn't sure if she was really seeing a young woman floating small toys.

"I have a question for you."

Chelsea faced front. The scientist had squatted to her level and smiled at her, "Do you know who I am?"

"Dr. List." she answered.

"And what did you come here to find?"

She took a deep painful breath, "Loki's Scepter."

The doctor turned a bit so she could see past his form. There it was, propped on a table, monitors blipping away as blue sparks danced along it's length. List chucked as he turned back to her. "You were very close." He pulled something from his pocket.

"Do you know this man as well?"

It was a long story behind why her heart ached looking at his face. It was a blank stare, his hair hanging lifeless, his mouth fixed in a frown; not how she'd seen him pictured before. Her gaze moved to List before it went back to the picture and she pronounced every syllable of his name, "James Buchanan Barnes."

Another chuckle, "You see my dear, there is potential in you. But unfortunately, you won't know any of these things when I remake you."

* * *

"I have to remember. I have to remember."

Mark Smith scowled at the woman in the cell, "I thought you would kill her."

"I might." List marked a sheet on a clipboard, "But I'd rather not. She keeps resisting, forcing herself to remember."

"What _does_ she remember?" Smith regarded her like a crazed animal. She sat indian style in the center of her cell, her forehead almost touching her crossed ankles, her hands in her hair, and she bounced her knees.

"The soldier."

"Which one?"

Dr. List sighed, "Both of them. She's been forcing little things as well, her address, her birthday..."

The younger man lent against the cell, "How does she even know him? He's well before her time."

"Given her family history he could have somehow become part of her upbringing. Stories can have a lasting effect on a child's mind when told often enough."

"So you think just knowing about him from stories makes him real to her?"

"Exactly." List smiled and tucked away his pen. "You have impressive deductive skills Mr. Smith. I think our wiping is returning her to an age were everything about him was real to her. Despite never having met him. It's all very interesting and a hinderance all the same."

He rolled his eyes, "Whatever. I still say you should just kill her."

"You and Mr. Basso share the same ideas. Is there something worrying you about this woman?"

Two more men approached and unlocked the cell when the doctor waved his hand in approval. Smith just continued to scowl as she was picked up, "It's just that...this weak state she's in won't last for long."

"It's nothing to worry about. I have a plan for her."

* * *

"Hey Grandpa."

Gabriel Jones smiled at the teenager as she lent down to him and kissed his cheek. Even at sixteen she sat before his armchair and tucked her legs under her, giving him her full attention. "Hello Dear, shouldn't you be headed home?"

She pushed her backpack and dance bag away from her, "Well I figured this would be a quick visit."

Her mother would be calling soon. Anytime the girl "stopped by" instead of going straight home from school this was where her mother checked. Given that she was almost always here.

He took the time to really look at his granddaughter's face. She looked so much like her mother but her gaze reminded him of his son. "Is there something you need?"

She took a deep breath, "I've been thinking about the train story, grandpa."

"Really? What about it?"

"Well..." she trailed off, unsure, "...what if he lived?"

Gabriel never thought about it. They all just assumed, and with everything going on, it was ruled an instance of KIA. No one ever _looked_ for him, so their wasn't any real proof. "I don't know, Chelsea."

A nod, "He'd be old... maybe not remember who he even is right?"

The man felt terrible. She had fallen for the stories of Bucky from before that mission to the Hydra facility in Austria. The very mission that resulted in their imprisonment originally. His granddaughter was in love with a man who had died over fifty years ago. "If he made it he would be old, just like me. And I don't think he would have remembered himself after such a fall."

"I think I want to try and find him."

"Why?"

She shrugged, "I just don't think he died, Grandpa."

Gabriel reached over to the table by his chair. There stood three pictures and a glass of water. One picture of the Howling Commandos, the other of himself and his wife with Peggy Carter and her husband, lastly was an image of himself and Bucky; taken just before they deployed out of basic training together. Well before Steve Rogers came into play.

He nodded as he passed the last picture to the girl, "When you decide to try, let me know."

* * *

"Do you know who I am?"

Dr. List sat across from the woman. "No." was her soft reply.

"Do you know these men?"

She looked up, like a tired child, reaching out for one of the photos then the other. "Steve... and James."

"James?"

"I like his given name better."

List smiled at that. "Do you know who you are?"

Chelsea's gaze was far off and she thought for a moment."I'm...I-" she frowned deeply, "I don't know."

Again, List looked over his shoulder. When he turned back to her she was still looking at the pictures, favoring one over the other. "What do you think of those men?"

"They're both supposed to be dead." Chelsea answered without stopping. Her mind was foggy, but that much she knew.

"Yes. But they're not. How does that make you feel?"

Her hand hovered over the pictures before she touched Sergeant Barnes' image, "Happy." she moved to Captain Rogers', "Scared." It sounded like the truth to her.

The next thing placed on the table was a Shield badge, her shield badge. She looked at it hesitantly but the doctor told her to take it, "It's yours."

"But..."

List smiled, "They _are_ bad. But it's ok for you to have it."

Bad. That made her stop. "Is that why he scares me?"

The man took Steve's photo as it was handed back to him. "Yes."

"He said he doesn't expect anything from me. That we could be friends."

The doctor's smile vanished and he waved for two guards, "He lied to you."

Chelsea's head was pounding. _Everything_ she said sounded like the truth to her...even if it wasn't supposed to be. Somewhere she felt like there were lies mixed in. Something snapped and she looked up at the doctor sitting across from her, "My name is Chelsea Jones."

Two men grabbed her arms and yanked her from the chair, knocking it over and leaving List to rub his face after removing his glasses. Chelsea continued shouting, "Who else has lied to me! Who!"

Basso, Smith, and a few other scientists entered the room and List moved to meet them, "We'll try again."

"Or we could kill her." Smith suggested.

"She'll go crazy before then." Basso added.

"Killing her is our contingency. Turning her paranoid could work for us." List tried.

"But will more than likely work against us." The other scientists nodded and the entire group turned to where her screams could be heard.

The ex Shield agents looked at each other before Basso spoke, "She's not called the Great Crusade for nothing. If we push and she chooses a target we _will_ have to kill her."

List agreed, "Fine. Better that than she get out into the world."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 **...To Go Home**

 **A/N: I'm merging some of my more recent and better written stories over to Wattpad, starting with this one. (hence the cover art) I've also changed my username, I've been CBarbie92 for 10 years, but it's time for a change. I'm not leaving my beloved** **, so never fear.**

"People are gonna die, Buck. I can't let that happen... Please don't make me do this."

* * *

"So, can we kill her now?"

She cracked. Dr. List had succeeded in breaking Chelsea 'The Great Crusade' Jones. She had been sitting quietly after her latest bout of electro shocks and mind wiping when he decided to step out of the room. It was only supposed to be for a moment. and he greatly regretted doing it.

 _"Open the door Miss Jones!"_

 _She broke the electric panel on her side, locking herself in the room and keeping the doctor out. "I can't stay here."_

 _"Yes you can. Just let me in and I'll help you relax."_

 _Chelsea shook her head, "You're with them; and they want to kill me." she slammed Bucky's picture on the glass and continued to speak calmly, "He's the only ally I have. I'm going to find him and we'll disappear."_

 _"He doesn't know who you are! He'll kill you!"_

 _"So be it."_

Inside she worked on the computer even as Mark Smith and Basso gathered outside the room. Both men pumping bullets into the thick glass. List panicked, "Don't harm her, she can't leave the room."

"Oh yes she can."

Inside as the glass started to crack Chelsea stood atop a desk and made a move for her favorite exit; the ventilation.

"Fuck!"

Basso ran in as the glass broke and fired into the system. He was sure he'd hit her but she kept moving, "It's tight in this old castle, she'll be slow. I want men in every room and on every exit!"

"Don't kill her!" the doctor approached the computer. A news article about a gunfight on an overpass in D.C. was clearly the Winter Soldier. She'd even found the file on where he'd been hiding out for last few days. "She might actually find him."

"That doesn't sound like a plus."

Dr. List was unaware of Bucky's current mental state, so his next thought wasn't necessarily true, "He'll bring her back."

"He won't have to." the ex shield agent said as he brushed passed the doctor, "I'm not letting her leave this building."

Smith followed the other Mark into the hall, "We're going to kill her aren't we?"

"Damn straight."

* * *

As if trying to crawl through metal tubing wasn't already hard enough; having it slicked with your own blood made it that much harder. Chelsea dragged herself along, the only thing keeping her going being the thought of _maybe_ having an ally out there. Someone with whom she shared something in common, a fear of being found.

Part of her wanted to just lay there; slow breathing and slow bleeding. Sounded like a peaceful enough way to go out. But another side of her needed to get out of this place. Every bit of her screamed that it was unsafe here. But she couldn't help feeling like she came here for something.

"C'mon Crusade! We know you're bleeding out up there!"

The Mark's entered the room together. Basso shouted up at the ceiling while Smith pointed to a small blood puddle forming on the floor, "You're making a mess."

Chelsea inched to the grate and pushed it into the room. It clattered to the floor and she went back to trying to catch her breath, her arm hanging through the hole the grate left.

Smith pushed a desk over to her position and climbed onto it. He grabbed her elbow and pulled. She hit the desk hard and rolled off onto the floor. She curled up, her arms across her middle.

Basso approached them, "The Great Crusade beaten out by an electric zap and a bullet. If i'd have known it was that easy to take you out I would have done it well before now."

She didn't say anything but rolled onto her back. The men continued to mock her, "Do you even know why you came here?"

A weak head shake and they chuckled, "Pathetic."

A gun clicked above her, "Let's just tell the good doctor we had no choice."

Chelsea Jones snapped her head to the side just as Smith pulled the trigger. He pumped it a few more times but she was already standing. Basso took a kick to chest as he tried to help and the other stared in disbelief as she disassembled the gun in his hand.

It was insane, like she knew where either of them would be as the fight dragged on. They couldn't keep up. Two grown men, both doubling in size over the woman. Yet she was matching everything they threw and when they did land a hit, it didn't faze her.

They laid on the floor, each man on a separate side of the room, and watched as she gathered the pieces of the pistol and put it back together. She didn't even look at them as she opened the door and entered the hall. Shots faded out as she made her way to the exit.

The Smith's didn't move for quite a while.

A killer had been made out of her. And she hadn't killed them. They considered themselves lucky.

* * *

"Jesus Christ Jones! Our whole organization is falling apart! I thought they'd gotten to you."

The pilot returned for her when he'd gotten into US airspace only to overhear interference about grounding him and determining his 'side'. His gut told him she was in trouble, so it made sense to go back for her. Better to have an ally than be alone.

Chelsea pointed her gun at the pilot, "Who are you with?"

"What the hell Jones? I'm with the same people you're with! Shield!" The pilot's eyes widened as hers narrowed, "You're with Hydra!" He shouted.

She shoved his body from the craft and threw the gun out after him. Running her fingers along buttons and strapping in she said, "I'm with no one but him."

* * *

"Who am I!"

Tables and chairs crashed along the room as scientists and doctors did their best to hide from the rampaging agent. No one could answer his questions and everyone was too afraid of him to speak really.

"Who! Who am I!"

He grabbed up the nearest scientist who had fat tears rolling down his face. He was a picture of fear and Bucky managed to stop his fist in the air, and stare at him. "P-please! I have a wife and child…"

It hit him them. Whoever he was he decided here and now that a killer was the last thing he wanted to be. That man, Steve, was a good guy. To Bucky that meant he was a good guy at some point in his life and he wanted nothing more than to get back to that.

* * *

Chelsea entered the belly of the bank slowly, still limping and holding her middle. She was a day behind the fall of Shield's Triskelion, but if she was right about the damage dealt the day before, both sides would still be dragging behind what happened. It was dark, lights buzzed awkwardly, there were dents and bullet holes in the walls… but even before she entered an open area, she knew there was no-one here.

The room, when she finally reached it, was a mess. Overturned tables and papers everywhere. A familiar chair bolted to the floor.

She could feel him, his pain here. It was the same thing they put her through.

Chelsea felt the tears in her eyes as she looked around the room, her panic rising. Where would he go? What could he possibly need?

Then she got it.

He needed answers.

* * *

" _Best friends since childhood, Bucky Barnes and Steven Rogers were inseparable on both schoolyard and battlefield. Barnes is the only Howling Commando to give his life in service of his country."_

Her hands shook. Almost violently so she had to clench them into fists. She hid under her hair and behind her sunglasses from the camera's that could possibly identify her and send _them_ crashing down around her ears.

Bucky stared at his picture on the wall from the bench in the middle of the floor. She knew it was him regardless of the baseball cap and hoodie. People moved and passed without paying him any mind at all.

When a slim, slightly hunched, body blocked his view he looked up. He visibly tensed and she spoke slowly, reaching up for the lenses covering her face, "There are a lot of people here."

She was right; but he didn't drop his guard.

Her gaze was green and wet. Her caramel cheeks flushed pink under bruises and cuts as she studied his face and tears started to fall. He relaxed just a fraction, barely, as he realized he'd been given that gaze before. And the last person who did it, knew who he was.

"Do you know me?"

Chelsea couldn't get a word out. Instead trying to still her crying and ignore her physical pain. He tensed again when she reached into the pocket of the jacket that was way too big for her small frame. She passed him a paper, crinkled and bloodstained.

"This is me." he looked over the hologram of the commandos and recognized the other man in the picture as Gabriel Jones. "What does this mean?"

She continued crying but put her arm around her middle, almost doubling over, "It means we need to go. Please."

He was unsure. He didn't know this woman but then again he didn't know anyone. The look in her eyes though, her tears. It was raw and true. He looked around before standing and approaching her. "How can you help me?"

"I know where to go and how to get you there. I can hide you… _we_ can hide."

"Why do you want to help me?"

More tears leaked from under her glasses, she pushed them up her nose, "You're the only thing I know anymore."

It was good enough for him, for now. She tensed the relaxed as he put an arm around her, attempting to blend in with the people around them and help her stand.

Yeah. It would do for now.

* * *

Romanov frowned at Steve after she handed him the folder. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I'm the only one who can."

She continued pulling a sad face, "I know you're close with Agent 16…. Agent Jones."

Steve nodded, "She's a good friend."

"She's still unaccounted for, Steve."

Sam Wilson watched them exchange. He knew Rogers wanted to go after the Winter Soldier, but this Jones person seemed almost as important, "Who's agent Jones?"

"My friend. She's the granddaughter of a Howling Commando. Part of the only family I had left."

Natasha took a step back, preparing to leave, "I know this guy is important to you. And I don't know much about this agent myself but I was asked to inform you that she was still missing. Is she as important?"

Steve watched her go and Sam put a hand on his shoulder, "How well do you know her to be able to find her?"

It hurt to admit, it really did, "I don't."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

 **My Mission**

* * *

"Where will we go?"

Chelsea didn't even look up from her task as she spoke, "Canada, then Portugal, maybe France, we'll go to a safe house from there." She looked over her shoulder briefly, "It'll be ok. I promise."

Bucky hid under the brim of his hat, looking around the vast parking garage at every squeak of a set of tires, every drip of water, every imagined footstep... "Did you work for Shield?"

"Before I found out they were bad. Yes. Now I think they want to kill me."

"And my people?"

"Do you really think you'd be running from them if they were your people?"

Bucky didn't know what to think.

His silence was answer enough and Chelsea sighed as the lock finally popped on the door of the rather large pickup. She'd already removed the plates with a small tool they'd lifted from some construction workers outside. It was the perfect ride, big with tinted windows for hiding them. The backseat was tiny but it would do for holding the duffle bags full of weapons and combat clothing they pulled from the bank underbelly before it swarmed with agents from either side.

Chelsea turned to the man for the second duffle but was blindsided and pushed against the truck. He held her upper arm firmly with his left hand, the metal hand, pressing her back against the truck bed. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing."

"Liar."

Chelsea took a deep breath, "You don't have to trust me. But let me finish my mission, please."

"And that is?"

"To protect you."

They both had been ignoring the man approaching them until he called out, "Excuse me, are you ok?"

"I'm fine." She spoke as Bucky tried to keep his face hidden and let her go.

The man watched him move carefully to the other side of the truck, preparing to get in, "It looked like he was hurting you."

"I said I'm fine."

He continued to watch carefully and Chelsea realized they weren't going to get rid of him, "I lost my ticket." She started, "Any way you can help me get out?"

"Of course." the man looked down to pull something from his pocket when he noticed the fresh blood on her shirt. Seeping from the poorly bandaged bullet hole she'd treated on the fly. "Oh my god-" was all he got out when she struck. Her baton zapping him like a taser. She left him there in a heap as she climbed in and fiddled with starting the car.

* * *

"A couple?"

"Definitely a man and a woman. He was harassing her, or so I thought he was."

Sam looked over at Steve with an eyebrow raised. "Have any idea what they were doing or where they were going?"

"Steeling the car, definitely, and to a hospital hopefully. She'd been shot; there was a hole in her stomach but she stood there like she'd forgotten about it."

The man turned back to his sandwich, taking a bite before looking up again. The two men across from him in the booth traded lunch for answers about what happened at his job the night before.

"Why is Captain America looking for two car thieves?" he finally asked.

Steve looked down at the table for a moment before meeting the man's gaze, "I'm not looking for them as any type of hero..."

"They friends of yours?"

Sam interrupted, "It's complicated. Did you get a good look at their faces?"

"Yeah."

"Molato girl, curly hair?"

"Steve, you can't say that."

The man did sort of a shrug and nod combo. "She had green eyes, but they were kind of dull. Like she was exhausted. Probably all that blood she was losing."

Steve was still wondering why he couldn't say 'molato', "And the man?"

"Sorry. He kept hiding under his hat. But..."

"But?"

"He had one glove on. I thought it was odd that it was just the one."

"On his left hand?" the avenger was on edge. The man nodded and Steve almost jumped from the booth, "Was there any security footage?"

"Well yeah. But it's shitty and the cops already went through it when I called them last night. The woman, she shot every camera in their path. The man was never even seen."

"Let's go Sam. Thank you sir."

"Sure thing."

Sam followed hot on Steve's heels as the man's furious strides carried him to the point where he was jogging to keep up. "Steve hold on. Stop!"

"She's with Bucky."

"You can't be sure of that."

"I can, I know them."

"You actually don't know either of them. Not anymore." Sam begged for Steve to see reason, "You might not know this girl as well as you think and who knows what happened to her. They could be dangerous."

"I have to follow my gut on this. I have to."

* * *

"We have to stop."

Bucky was instantly on edge as the woman pulled the truck over to the side of the very dark highway and hopped out. She knocked on his window and he opened the door, "Why?"

"The border is fifteen miles out. We can't cross it in a car, and definitely not above ground."

He looked confused, "No passports." she answered, then added, "Besides. They'll know my face. I'm positive."

He grabbed a duffle bag and secured it, waiting patiently to see what she did next. But Chelsea just stopped and looked at him. It was a prying gaze that made even him feel vulnerable. He glared at her.

Chelsea sighed and headed for the trees just beside the road, "Nine hours of silence makes me wonder what you're thinking. That's all…"

She approached a large grate readying a few tools when he reached down with his left and ripped it from the ground, "I want to know who you are."

"I'm not sure myself." She jumped down into a maintenance hallway and waited until he joined her. It was quiet for a moment until she slowed and eventually stopped, "Twenty questions..."

"What?"

"It's a game. You ask me questions and I answer as truthfully as I can."

 _"And more questions..."_

 _"If I'm truly prying you don't have to answer."_

 _The agent just stared at him for a moment before she continued unpacking cases, "I can pass?"_

 _"Yes."_

 _"Then pass."_

 _"Ok." Steve joined her in unpacking although everything he opened was promptly taken from him and put in the correct place. "Where do you live now?"_

 _"Washington D.C."_

 _"And your parents?"_

 _Again she eyed him, "My mother still lives in Baltimore."_

 _"Your father?"_

 _"Dead."_

 _"How?"_

 _"Pass."_

 _"Ok. Fair. What do you like?"_

 _She thought for a moment, her mouth twisted up just so while she stuck a camera above the door to the room, "Old cars and ballet."_

"Hey. Hey, look at me."

Chelsea didn't remember falling to her knees, and feeling her lungs struggle for air furthered her panic. Bucky was crouched in front of her and she held his hoodie tight in both hands. He brought up his own palms and held both sides of her head, firmly, but gently, although his left hand was firmer than the other.

He breathed evenly and the woman followed his lead. He continued to hold her head as she calmed, her eyes watering all the while, "What did they do to me?"

He frowned deeply, "What did you see?"

Chelsea closed her eyes tight pushing him away a little rougher then she meant to, "It doesn't matter."

"It does."

"Please don't make me do this. Not now. We have to get out of here." She didn't understand his sudden urge to make her remember who she was.

"You have to remember."

 _"Chelsea Jones, known also as The Great Crusade. Father, Matthew Jones. Grandfather, Gabriel Jones of the Howling Commandos...impressive. Your mother was a dancer yes? Teaches dance in Baltimore and you visit her from your home in Washington D.C. High marks in school, both your performing arts and in Shield's Operations academy..." The man continued to circle her tied form on the floor, reading from a folder about her life like she wasn't even real..._

"Why are you doing this?" she sounded pitiful, but she was feeling too many things right now to be embarrassed.

Bucky frowned at her tear stained face. She sat against the wall, hunched, and he still sat where he landed when she shoved him, "So you can tell me more about who I am."

She put her forehead on her knees, "This isn't the place-"

"What do you remember?" he cut her off.

 _Chelsea pointed her gun at the pilot, "Who are you with?"_

" _What the hell Jones? I'm with the same people you're with! Shield!" The pilot's eyes widened as hers narrowed, "You're with Hydra!" He shouted._

 _She shoved his body from the craft and threw the gun out after him. Running her fingers along buttons and strapping in she said, "I'm with no one but him."_

"Stop it! Stop!" Her arm was surprisingly steady as she pointed the gun at him. Bucky glared at her, "I just..." she started and trailed off, "I just wanted to save you. It's my mission."

Again, Bucky found himself moved. Just like at the museum, how she looked at him. Like she'd found something she'd been searching her whole life for. Not even _he_ looked at him like that. "Who gave you this mission?"

"A younger me."

Her memories really were all over the place. He approached her, still crouched low, and again held her head so he could look her right in those hazel eyes, "Who are you?"

The gun veered off his face to over his shoulder and her voice still shook when she spoke, "Chelsea Jones, The Great Crusade."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

 **Until Proven Innocent**

* * *

"We can't stay here for too long." Chelsea looked away from the blood in the sink, her blood, to her own face in the mirror. Her cheek was cut and bruised and her lip was split, but it would heal. The collapsed tunnel at the American/Canadian border...that was another story.

Bucky sat on the edge of the tub, a panel open on his left arm and he poked around it with a small screwdriver in his right. "I know. You should rest."

She sat next to him, taking the tool, "We both need rest."

He snatched it back, "I'll take first watch."

She put her hand over his and spoke calmly despite his stubbornness truly annoying her, "My grandfather said you could be a real ass sometimes." He stopped fussing over his arm and let her tighten the screws. When she finished she asked, "Do you remember how this happened?"

He stood and moved to leave the bathroom, "I just remember blood and snow, then some sort of hospital."

"You fell." he turned to her, "You fell off a train. It's the accident that lead everyone who knew you to believe you were dead."

Bucky was slightly dumbfounded. He didn't even know that much about himself. But this is what he wanted. Jogging her memory would lead her to being able to jog his. Chelsea tried to read his expression and just took a deep breath, "My grandfather told me that story a million times. He was there and I think out of everything that happened during the war, your death stuck most."

"The man in the picture you show'd me."

She nodded, "Yeah, that's him."

His death meant something to someone...someone more than just Steve Rogers. It was strange to hear, "I don't remember him."

Chelsea took a moment to pull a black t-shirt over her grey sports bra. Her hair sprouting from the neck of the shirt like a cloud before her face was seen, "It's ok."

"I want to."

She threw a quick smile down into the duffle bag, "One week into basic training you guys hit it off over the idea to fake colds to get closer to a nurse working on the base."

 _"That's genius man. I've just been holding it in my hands."_

 _Bucky chuckled as he leaned over his cot, swirling his thermometer in the bowl of hot water the nurse left next to his bed. He popped it back into his has mouth as she returned and tskd at the high temperature. "Looks like you'll be staying with me for another day Mr. Barnes."_

 _She fussed over is chart and he motioned to his new friend to try the bowl before she turned to him. Gabriel Jones reached over, swirling his thermometer as well._

 _"Alright Mr. Jones, how are you feeling?"_

 _He slapped on his best pout as she took the instrument, "How terrible. Get some rest please. I'll come back in a moment with some water for you."_

 _As she walked away both men shamelessly watched her before introducing themselves, "Gabriel Jones."_

 _"James Barnes, but my friends call me Bucky."_

"Remember him now?"

He nodded, his expression still solemn. He sat at the end of the bed and could hear her putting a pistol slid it under the pillow and climbed onto the bed. Laying on her back, one hand on her now properly treated and bandaged gut while the other rested on her forehead. "Wake me in two."

She was obviously more tired than she'd expected and she found herself welcoming his chivalry or stubbornness; whichever afforded her the time to rest. She woke with a start, her jaw clenched so tight her teeth ached. "Has it been two?"

Bucky was still at the foot of the bed. His elbows on his knees. Chelsea noticed he hadn't even at least turned on the television. "One and fifteen."

The woman sighed, standing and stretching. She went to the duffle and assembled a rifle. The clicking, clanking metal was the only sound for a few moments. Bucky watched her prop it against the window sill before she pulled up a chair. "You really should at least lie down. " she urged.

He rolled his neck as he stood and pulled off the navy long-sleeve he was wearing. He went to the same side of the bed, probably still warm, and laid on his back also, putting his right arm behind his head and feeling the pistol digging through the pillow to his wrist. "Did your grandfather tell you any other stories about me?"

Chelsea didn't pull her gaze from the window, "Yeah. Quite a few. I'd sit at his chair and listen as long as he'd let me."

"...can you tell me more?"

She glanced at him, catching his gaze in that split second and feeling her heart pound. "Of course I can."

* * *

"Same story as before, white male and African American female. They were approached by security and then...well..." Sam motioned to the rubble around them.

"Was anyone hurt?" Steve asked.

"Eight men, but no one died. Looks like the only casualty was the pilot who seemingly went back for your Agent Jones."

There was no seemingly. In attempting to track Chelsea they'd learned she'd come into US airspace in a Quinjet and that the pilot assigned to the craft was missing. It only made sense that he'd been killed. The onboard computer showed an odd flight pattern, doubling back to Russia and the US again before it was landed and abandoned.

"Where are they going?" Steve asked himself aloud.

"My best guess is a boat, maybe a freighter or something, get to Europe and attempt to disappear."

It was a solid plan, and it made the most sense. "We just have to hope they didn't leave already. We're two hours behind this incident."

That made it 6 am, prime time for ships to be leaving port.

"Maybe we'll get lucky."

* * *

"Are you sure about this?"

Chelsea took a deep breath as she zipped her black leotard to her chin and proceeded to check weapons before attaching them to her person. "Yeah. I'm already a traitor... and a murderer." She stopped for a second and shook her head, "I can at least keep them off your tail."

"There is no them anymore."

"But there is. Always will be." Her baton buzzed weakly as she tested it. She still strapped it to her pant-leg, "At least if I go down your location goes down with me."

"And if you don't go down?"

She looked Bucky in the eyes, "It's still better if I don't know where you choose to settle."

"You said your mission was to help me."

"It is. How many missions have _you_ gone on with _every_ detail?"

Few. Very few, was the answer. The loud horn of the ship made them both look up. Bucky was the first to look down, at her. "Thank you."

She smiled, "No problem."

* * *

"It's quiet." Sam noted that save for the machinery there didn't seem to be anything else really happening at the Canadian Port.

Steve agreed, "Dare I say too quiet?"

"They could be gone already."

"Or this was never their plan."

"It was." The voice above them lifted their gazes to the top of a metal shipping container. Chelsea jumped down to the gravel, "You're just too late."

Sam stepped forward but Steve stopped him, "What happened?"

"I saw some things, experienced some things, felt some things...all not very pleasant." She stood her ground, chin held a bit higher, clutching her baton at it's shortest length in her hand.

"Why did you run?"

"I didn't know who I was at first. And even still, are you here to just slap me on the hands? I don't think so."

"Where is he?"

"The pilot I killed?"

"Bucky."

Her gaze moved to Sam then back to Steve, "Who?"

"Chelsea, please."

For a second her gaze softened. "I'm sorry. He's gone."

Steve wasn't satisfied with that answer and turned to Sam, "Check around."

The woman threw something as they tried to split. Sam wandering off and Steve approaching her. The item stuck to a metal container, right next to Sam's head and started to beep. The explosion was small, but big enough to let them know she meant business. Steve picked up speed and came at a run.

Even at his speed, she leapfrogged him, pressing a spot between his shoulder blades, "Whatever they did to me upped my game just enough, Captain. Don't take me too lightly."

It hurt but he rolled his shoulders and tried to ignore it, "They? Who's they?"

"Hydra."

His concern was back, "What did they do to you?"

"Don't worry. They didn't turn me. Just gave me a little more focus." Her heel caught Sam in the jaw and his counter to her ribs was thrown off just enough that he didn't break one. She forced a deep breath through the pain and jabbed him in the chest with her baton, using the force of its extension. There wasn't enough charge for a knockout, but it did the trick.

Chelsea chanced a look at the water. It was gone. The ship he was on was long gone.

Steve grabbed her from behind and picked her up. The move pissed her off and she kicked Sam as he came to help, then threw her head back to catch Steve in the nose.

He let go and there were two simultaneous clicks. Both men looked into pistol barrels and backed off. Putting a few feet between them and the woman.

"You aren't going to shoot us."

The bold statement and step forward awarded the Avenger with a bullet in his upper arm. "I remember you trying to be my friend... but you must not know me very well."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Does it matter?" Sam shouted, tired of getting kicked in the face, and really upset at having the gun pointed at him. He had suggested they not go empty handed, now look at them, "She just shot you! Why do you trust her?"

"Because she's my friend. And I know she has a good reason, I know _he's_ a good reason."

The woman felt her eyes burning, "I just want to protect him."

"Where is he going, Chelsea?"

"I really don't know." tears fell but she kept her arms raised, "I told him not to tell me. I'd keep you at bay until he was out of sight."

Sam looked around. There were no ships on the water. The ex-shield agent seemed to have her full focus on Steve, but he dare not move. Then he saw it, the falter in her stance and the bloodstain on her leotard. An old wound maybe?

He signaled to Steve, subtly.

"There is no Shield anymore, isn't necessary."

She shook her head, "There will always be a Shield or a Hydra. _Always_." Both her arms lowered to her sides. The guns hit the gravel and something else fell with them, "I can protect him if I'm not around, I can pay for what I did."

A beeping sent Steve in her direction and he felt her waist in his arms before there was a blossoming heat around his ankles.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

 **Tiny Dancer**

* * *

"How is she?"

Tony Stark spun a keycard between his thumb and forefinger. Setting up Stark Tower as the new Avengers headquarters meant transforming rooms and whole floors at a rapid rate. But a prison was the last thing he'd had in mind, "Are we not going to talk about why she's even here?"

"Tony…"

"Well? You show'd up with her and said she needed a place to stay. But it doesn't end there of course you tell me her room needed to be secure…from the outside." he smirked, "A cell, if you will."

"Can we please not do this now?"

The mogul put the keycard in his breast pocket. "And the crazy thing is that she agreed to this! She agreed to have a camera watching her every move and doctors in and out at all hours. Do you have any idea how high maintenance those specialists are?"

"Tony."

"And to top it off!" his volume level rose and his facade faded. "I'm not allowed to know anything that has to do with her. In _my_ building!"

Tony Stark and Steve Rogers didn't always see eye to eye. But here Steve was aware of being in the wrong. He asked a lot of Tony and at the last minute. Chelsea wasn't ready to go home, she was still scared, still worried about what they'd done to her.

"There is no Shield anymore _old man_. There aren't anymore secrets to be kept."

"She needed to be put somewhere safe. She's scared Tony."

"Scared of what?"

Steve looked him right in the eyes, "The same thing we're afraid of."

Tony was by no means satisfied yet. But he was in no mood to argue. He handed the captain the keycard and turned away without a word. The blonde sighed before swiping the key over the lock. He hadn't been to see her since he'd dropped her off. It was tunnel vision; at least that's what Sam said. He immediately jumped from one issue to the next, with almost inhuman speed.

He burst back into the hallway in a panic. Tony was back, leaning against the wall. His usual smug expression on his face. The blonde was all nerves and held the man by the front of his shirt, "Where is she?"

"She isn't a prisoner Cap."

"Where!"

* * *

" **Miss Jones, it seems you have a visitor."**

Chelsea continued in the current simulation. "Thanks Jarvis."

" **Would you like to pause simulation?"**

She hit a target that came in from her left. Unspeaking was how she preferred them although his mouth was open in a shout. The weighted staff hit I'm in the jaw and he crumbled to cubes of light before disappearing, "No. Start course fifteen."

The elevator opened just as the room shifted to portray pillars of every size. Some low enough to jump over and others up to the ceiling. Chelsea didn't acknowledge either man as they entered the room.

 **"Good afternoon Captain Rogers, Mr. Stark."**

"The Captain needs a shield, Jarvis." the woman called out.

 **"Of course Miss Jones."**

Tony chuckled, "Did I mention she's been training nonstop for two weeks? Women with ambition, am I right?"

Steve caught the shield as it dropped from somewhere in the ceiling. **"I do apologize Captain Rogers, as I lack the materials for your actual shield. I hope this 3D printed version will do."**

The blonde was still a little confused, "Um...thank you." He recovered last minute as Chelsea brought her staff down over her head. The shield held up well enough and would do for...whatever this was. "What is this about?"

Chelsea smirked at him, "What did you think I was going to do for two weeks? Sit on my ass?"

"Hey-!"

He kept up with everything she threw and noticed the staff didn't have a 'zapping' feature, which he was grateful for. But still, he could tell she wasn't really trying. "Why didn't you let me go?"

Steve ate the hit to his back and sighed deeply as she raised her eyebrows at him. He pulled off his jacket and bent his knees. "you don't get to decide your punishment." He expected her to leap over him as he ran at her so he grabbed her wrist just as she jumped and placed a hand on his shoulder for leverage.

Her answer, when she landed, was a kick to the outside of his elbow, "But you get to decide I'm just frightened and delusional?"

"Chelsea-!"

She smacked the shield and tsked, "Stay on topic."

"You were. You _told_ me you were afraid."

"But I didn't think you'd drop me off like a dog in a kennel."

"There were things I needed to do and you weren't clear."

They were back at trading off blows, each one blocking the other. "I was very clear actually. James is in the wind. Something I'm sure you realized in the two weeks you've spent looking for him."

She was right, James Buchanan Barnes was long gone.

"I wouldn't call blowing yourself up clear."

"You're changing the subject again."

Steve saw an opportunity and took it. He pinned the woman between his 'shield' and a nearby pillar and stared right in her eyes, "What are you trying to prove?"

"That I'm better than what they did to me."

"And what did they do?"

Chelsea dropped her practice staff and put both hands flat on the shield. She shoved and sent the soldier rearing back quite a few steps. His expression was of pure shock as he felt the force behind her shove. It was almost too much strength for her size and stature. She sighed and motioned to the now cracked equipment in his hands, "They rewrote me."

* * *

"It's amazing what actually talking to someone can accomplish." Tony Stark sneered at Steve Rogers as he sat across from him. Chelsea headed to her room to shower so the men retired to the R and D levels of what was soon to be Avengers Tower to talk, "Chelsea Commons is essentially a base model version of you and your little metal armed friend."

"How do you figure?"

"Like I said. I talked to her." Tony poured himself a drink, not bothering to offer one to the Captain but instead handed him a water. "She remembers a chair. Said they put panels over her face and head and electrocuted her; essentially."

Steve clenched a fist as Tony lent over to the coffee table. A human brain floated above the table, "This is what her brain should look like, but this is what it actually looks like." A different image appeared, this one of a brain with spots that looked...almost burned.

"Oh look! The inside of my head." Chelsea walked in. Clothed in a black longsleeve shirt and jeans. Her curls were clearly still wet and piled atop her head. She sat next to Steve and tucked her feet beneath her. "Do you mind if I'm here Mr. Stark?"

"Of course not. Jarvis, please explain to the Captain what he's seeing."

 **"I'll do my best sir. Miss Jone's brain was rewired. I took the liberty of scanning her myself and found that her temporal lobe took the most damage. Memory has been lost at random and in some instances can be partially restored with proper exposure."**

"I'm trying." she chimed in, "I remember who I am, who other people close to me are. I remember running with James. But I'm not sure about my mission before I was captured. Faces are fuzzy. The only person that sticks out is the doctor who did this so me."

"Who was he?"

"Dr. List, he..." she drifted off, "I can't..." Chelsea was more frustrated than sad. "I know he had something to do with what I was doing before. But I can't remember."

"Shields information is all over the internet. Chunks here and there." Tony pulled up another image, this one of an incomplete ring, "I'm running software now to bring in everything I can. I'm sure we'll find the details of Chelsea's mission somewhere."

 **"The damage done to the temporal lobe seemed reckless, almost a form of torture. But the other regions, they were intentional. Frontal lobe and parietal lobe were surgically manipulated. Miss Jones can withstand more pain and exert more force and energy although her physical body shouldn't be able to. Her spacial awareness is heightened but her ability to focus..."**

"Thank you Jarvis."

 **"You're welcome sir."**

Tony crossed his legs and sipped his drink, "They've done this before. They knew where to place the charges in order to manipulate her brain's makeup."

"Done it before?" Steve asked.

"They did it to James, to Bucky. He knew how to pull me out of my head, Steve. He pulled me out so I could do the same for him."

"What does he remember?"

"It's hard to say. No matter how many stories I told him, nothing stuck. Not really."

"Not really?"

"He liked the stories, even had me repeat a few. He tried to remember. He did..."

 **"You have a call, sir."**

Tony excused himself and took his call. Steve turned immediately to the woman, "Did he?"

Chelsea chuckled, "Tony Stark is a playboy, but he's a good guy. The doctors never even got a chance in here, he only locked that door the first night. The next morning, Jarvis woke me up and sent me down a floor for breakfast. Breakfast with _the_ Ironman, pretty amazing."

Steve just looked at her. He was worried, he was so scared. Two weeks ago she tried to blow herself up, and now she was back to the Chelsea he remembered. Snarky, confident, and bright. "Your mother..."

"I've spoken to her. Thank you for letting her know I was ok. She's aware of Shield protocol you know... She knew something was up when you said I was safe but couldn't come home."

"I just-"

"Wanted me to be safe." she nodded, "I know." she studied him. His demeanor, "I'm not angry. You're not supposed to feel the same way about me that you do Bucky. He's your best friend...you watched him die."

"Sam said it was wrong of me to just drop you here. You needed a friend, you needed _me_ , and I abandoned you to chase a ghost..."

"I'm not a little girl, and I'm not weak. Everybody get's overpowered at some point. You don't have to treat me like a mental patient...you don't have to lock me up to keep me safe."

He nodded and she said, "The same goes for Bucky. I'm not saying don't chase him. But, maybe think about what you're going to do if you find him."

"Will you help?"

Chelsea didn't even pause before shaking her head. "I can't do that. I promised him that on my life, no one would find him. Feel free to look, but if you get close, expect me to be in your way."

Steve felt her gaze intensify, "And you stand by that?"

"I'll do whatever it takes."

He understood, "So what now?"

"I would very much like to go home."

"Leaving the lap of luxury so soon?" Tony rejoined them, his usual demeanor banishing the emotional tension.

Chelsea stood, "I think it's time I rejoin the world. I'm getting restless you know?"

"But all your training." Steve stood and touched her elbow.

"I don't think I belong on any missions or anything just yet. Shield is home, and I killed a member of my Shield family. It doesn't feel right."

"You were protecting yourself."

"No." Chelsea spoke firmly, "At that moment, I was not clear. I killed a man and I still need a minute to forgive myself."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

 **Change of Heart**

* * *

 _"You were on the list. I checked. The list of people they couldn't find."_

Chelsea bit her lip to stop from crying too hard. Hearing Sharon sniffle over the phone, the sheer relief in her voice, it was nice and warm. Just like her mother's tearful welcome, "I'm ok, Sharon. Are you?"

 _"Yeah. I was...I was inside when it went down."_

"I heard. It's still hard to believe it's gone."

 _"People are in hiding. They joined other agencies or are laying low; trying to weed out what's left of Hydra."_

"I should be helping... I just don't feel stable enough yet."

 _"What happened to you?"_

Chelsea clenched her fist and looked down at it, everything felt different, "It's a long story that I'll tell you one day; in person."

 _"You could join me here. The CIA could use more good guys."_

The problem was Chelsea didn't feel like a good guy anymore."Keep that option open for me ok? But I need some time."

 _"Chelsea...how bad did your mission go?"_

"Bad. I'll see you soon enough and we can talk about it, ok?"

 _"Alright. Take care of yourself, Chelsea."_

"You too."

Chelsea leaned back in her mother's office chair and sighed. It was quiet. A nice lazy Sunday with the entire dance studio to herself. She couldn't go back to her own place so she opted for the vacant apartment above the studio.

Today she just wanted to be in a familiar space, a quiet, familiar space.

She reached over to a stack of mail that had arrived the day before and lazily flipped through it. Mostly checks from students, and the occasional bill. Order forms for leotards and shoes... and an envelope from the Romanian Dance Company?

Opening it would have to wait as she heard the faint sound of the bell ringing upstairs. She left the office and couldn't help her grin at the sight of Steve Rogers incessantly ringing the bell. She opened the door to the studio and leant outside, "No one's home."

"I thought you'd be closed today, and it's still early."

She laughed, "So you were gonna wake me with the doorbell?"

He smiled as he followed her inside and to the office, "What I have is worth it."

"Oo presents!"

His smile was still very wide when she turned to him. It made her slightly self conscious, "What?"

"You seem to be doing better."

She blushed, "I've been trying. Being around my mother, helping out here, it's a nice distraction." she peeled the cover off the tablet he handed her, "So this is...?"

"From Stark."

The eyeroll was hard to hold back. There was a huge Stark Industries logo on the back of the tablet, "Why did he send it?"

"It's all the information he compiled from Shield's server dump. We're not sure if email or anything is safe yet, so he had me bring it personally."

Chelsea took a deep breath, that meant it was time for her to truly re-live what happened on her last mission. Why she was on it, what she was after, and what lead to her capture and mind alter. Steve's large palm covering her ear made her jump. He held the side of her head gently and the look of worry on his face... "Are you ok?"

She didn't realize she had started crying, "Just scared still, I guess."

He missed the weight of her head when she turned away to go sit behind the desk. "Maybe you should get some air. You can show me around the city."

The woman wiped her eyes, "There isn't much to see in Baltimore, Steve."

"There's you."

He meant it. She felt his sincerity. Her smile was slightly forced though, "Sorry Cap. I'm going to take advantage of the silence here."

The blonde nodded and dropped his blue gaze down to the desk. The cream envelope there caught his eye, "Dancing again?"

"Unfortunately not. My cover information was dumped with everyone else's... I have to create a new me, somehow."

"You could always join up with us. I think Stark could use the help."

This time her smile was real, "Thank you. I'll think about it."

Chelsea walked him to the door. Folding her arms and leaning against the frame as he turned to her. She nodded once, "You should relax, do something fun."

Steve shoved both hands in his pockets, "Well it looks like I'm going on a date."

"Oh? What's her name?"

The woman was amused until he said, "Sharon." Chelsea's expression changed only a fraction, but he caught it, "Familiar?"

"Maybe. Hopefully she's a nice girl."

"Yeah, hopefully."

She watched him leave. Watched him all the way down the street before she went back inside. It would be a lie to say she wasn't bothered. But there were other things that needed her attention.

Chelsea picked up the tablet and just drummed her fingers on the back. MAybe she wasn't ready just yet... She switched attention to the envelope and started tearing it open. But she stopped when she read the name on the front; Chelsea Buchanan. Her files dumped into the world had the name Chelsea Jones and Chelsea Commons. Buchanan was never a name she used.

"James..." she pulled the paper from the envelope, "What are you trying to tell me..."

Where he was. He was trying to tell her where he'd settled. The letter was a formal invitation to a showing of Cinderella at the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest. He looked her up, figured it out using the information Black Widow dumped on the web. He knew she'd open a dance related letter, even knew her mother's studio would be the best place to send it, and that she would know it was from him if he changed her last name.

Chelsea looked over at the tablet she had yet to even turn on and nodded, "Alright James, we can figure this out together."

* * *

"You seem distracted."

Steve shoved his hands deeper in his pockets and looked over at the blonde next to him. "I'm worried about a friend."

Sharon nodded and looked over her shoulder. Through the trees in the park and the buildings that went on for miles, you used to be able to see the Triskelion. Now it was just open air, "I know the feeling."

"I was hoping this would take my mind off it."

She chuckled, "Working for Shield puts you in a perpetual state of stress and worry. Maybe you could talk to me about it?"

He figured it couldn't hurt. "A friend of mine has lost their way. Following all this...it's like they fell apart."

"A shield agent?"

"Yeah."

"We all have to pick up the pieces. Our cover stories and our real lives, depending on what we shared with Shield, it's all out there for anyone to read." She unconsciously walked closer to him, "We've all fallen apart."

That made him feel better because it was the truth. Steve needed to pick up the pieces again too. His phone buzzed and he checked it quickly.

 **"Going on a trip. Hopefully I return with a clear head." - Chelsea**

Hopefully she could pick up the pieces in her own life. The avenger smiled to himself, proud of her strides to move on. He glanced over at Sharon, the cool April breeze was chilling her. The woman flinched at the touch of his arm around her shoulders then relaxed. "What about your friend?" he asked.

"Family actually. Or at least they're like family and Shield was like our home." she reached up and wiped a tear or two. "I was really afraid for them."

"May I ask why?"

She stepped even closer, "I think they were doing something dangerous and I think something bad happened to them."

"And now?"

Sharon took a deep breath and let something slip, "I think she'll figure it out."

Steve heard the pronoun change, but didn't think too hard on it. He nodded and pulled her closer, "I think it's time to grab some food."

* * *

"Bine ați venit la București, d-ră Buchanon." _Welcome to Bucharest, Miss Buchanon._

"Mulțumesc." _Thank you._ Chelsea climbed into the offered cab and took a deep breath. Her heart was pounding. It was so unlike her to be so nervous. Her hands shook when she handed over her last minute passport in the airport. She'd had to make it herself as her real name and aliases were all compromised.

She couldn't help thinking how she'd gone through so many names in the last year. Even moreso in the last eight months. The idea of putting Jones to rest was a fresh one...but it would be a smart move.

"Unde sa?" _Where to?_

"Teatrul." _The theatre._

The man decided to try his english, looking at Chelsea with the rearview mirror, "Athenaeum is good place. Very beautiful. Will you see the show?"

She just smiled, "Poate." _Maybe._

The rest of the ride was quiet and the woman clutched her bag. She really hoped her hunch was right. Straight to theatre and just maybe…

"Amaan Shaikh." _Here we are._

Chelsea stood at the edge of the street long after the cab pulled off. The theatre wasn't necessarily large, or even really all that magnificent. It was small, but still really beautiful. She could see it and the benches along it's side clearly. And the man, sitting hunched in a hoodie and blue baseball cap.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

 **Reaffirming Truth**

"You weren't supposed to tell me where you were."

Chelsea walked into the small apartment first and couldn't help the habit of mapping the place. Four by four foot entrance leading into one room. Open kitchen andw the old door next to the fridge was covered in news articles. A small kitchen island backed a tiny love-seat, and the bed, which couldn't possibly be big enough for him, was in the space that was left on top of some pallets.

Bucky didn't acknowledge her comment. Instead he brushed past her to the bed, putting her bag there. She took a deep breath, "Are you comfortable?"

He avoided her gaze and tried to get past her again. She stepped in front of him and put a hand flat on his chest, "I came because you wanted me to. Help me understand why I'm here."

His gaze stayed low and he took several breaths, "I need your help."

"Are you not safe?"

"…"

"Talk to me, James. You didn't risk bringing me here for nothing."

He hadn't met her gaze since she approached him at the theatre. It was just like when she first found him. Standing before him in the Smithsonian until he looked up. The shade of his hat covered his eyes this time so she couldn't read him.

Bucky could only sigh heavily, tiredly, as she reached up and took off his hat. His eyes were dark and hollow. The gaze almost blank and very sad.

It was Chelsea's turn to sigh, "Alright." she nodded and repeated, "Alright."

* * *

"Good morning."

The assassin was silent when he awoke to the woman haphazardly asleep on the couch. Her head had been tilted back and the tablet she was looking through was on the floor. He'd thought it odd at first, how she could sleep so deeply. Then he realized it was because she felt safe; she felt safe with him there.

"I woke up as soon as you left."

"There's no food here…" he started.

Chelsea smiled, "Yeah. Just a lot of fruit." she approached him and held out her hands; having to flex her fingers to get him to notice what she wanted. "That might also have to do with your current state. Hunger can really affect you."

Bucky handed over the bags but stood in the middle of the floor awkwardly, "Thank you." he finally said when she started un-bagging bread, cheese, and what she really hoped was bacon.

She didn't even look over to him when she said, "Don't. You're my mission, remember?"

"…yeah."

" _You're! My! Mission!"_

It didn't feel like the memory took longer than a second. But it was more than enough time for Chelsea to make it across the room. "Just breathe. I'm right here…it's ok."

"I hurt him."

"He's ok." she eased him to the love-seat and followed him to the floor. He closed his eyes tightly but she sat on her knee's and patiently waited, never releasing her gentle hold on his upper arms.

He finally looked at her, but couldn't really formulate any words. She continued to wait and eventually pulled her hands away. Bucky grabbed them before she could use them as leverage to stand, "Does he hate me?"

"Do you really need me to give you an answer?"

No. No he didn't. He was fully aware that Steve Rogers couldn't hate him no matter what he did. His grip on Chelsea's hands didn't lesson and she held him right back, "The articles; you post the one's that trigger something."

"Yeah."

"That's good." she smiled, "Your memory will solidify if you reaffirm the truth." she glanced down, "So, what did the ones about me trigger?"

He watched their hands for a while longer before saying, "They help me imagine you talking to me."

"About?"

"Anything. Everything." he shook his head, "Just someone keeping me sane."

Chelsea sat completely on the floor, getting comfortable, "Why me?"

"I don't really know." She sat for a moment longer, just watching his expression as he looked at their hands. He looked up and spoke again, "Are you afraid of me?"

"No!"

"You're shaking." he pointed out before she could ask him why he thought that.

It took her a moment to gather herself and coat her dry throat to say, "This is all still unreal to me. I used to tell my grandfather that I'd try and find you. That I didn't think you were dead." she chuckled awkwardly, "I thought I'd find an old man if I got lucky and I'd spend my time telling him stories until he died."

He was moved, as always, by her unwarranted devotion, "I feel like an old man."

"You're just tired."

James released her hands finally and let her stand. "There's still a lot I don't know."

Chelsea reached over to grab the tablet from the other end of the small couch. "I couldn't focus enough last night to find anything substantial. I don't think I'm ready." she handed it to him, "But I think that maybe you are. I think you've been ready for a long time and this time no one is going to make you forget."

He took it but stopped her as she stood and tried to return to the kitchen, "What about you? What about what they did to you?"

"I'm sure that when I'm ready, my mind will put the pieces together for me."

* * *

 **"Sir, it appears the GPS tracking chip in the tablet we sent with Captain Rogers has been disabled."**

Pepper Pots perched an eyebrow up high, "GPS? Who exactly are you tracking, Tony?"

The man pushed back from the glass dining table and held a finger in that way he does when he's readying to speak, "It's not so much who as in what. There's sensitive information on that thing, so I need to know where it is at all times." he punched up a map on the nearest console.

 **"Last known whereabouts were Baltimore, Maryland."** the map zoomed in to some sort of arts district and a small dance studio, **"Here, at Miss Jones' last known residence."**

"So he got it to her. Meaning...she switched it off?"

 **"Miss Jones reached out to me looking to create a passport. I told her I could not help without getting clearance from you sir."**

Pepper sighed from the table, "She just wanted a little privacy Tony. Leave her be and come eat."

It should have been that simple. But giving how she had been brainwashed by Hydra... he couldn't just leave it at that. "What name did she want on the passport, Jarvis?"

 **"She didn't say sir."**

"Do have a signal on the phone I gave her?"

 **"Yes sir. The signal places her in Chantilly, France."**

"Tony please just leave her be." Pepper near begged. "She's tired. What she went through was hard. Chantilly is quiet and I really think you should just have some faith in her."

He sighed and sauntered back to the table, "Fine. Fine. Jarvis, if she moves, I need to know."

 **"Yes sir."**

* * *

"Good morning fraulein." Wolfgang Von Strucker circled the young woman laying on her back on the floor. She breathed heavily but otherwise just stared at the stone ceiling. He smiled down at her, "Do you know where you are?"

Dr. List sounded from somewhere in the room, "She doesn't know anything. We scramble her before transport and when we take her back."

"Good." the Baron nudged the woman with his foot until she rolled over. "Tell me about her progress." he addressed List.

"Unlike the others she hasn't shown any signs of aggression. She appears lethargic and un-attached until confronted. Her reactions to images are very visceral and honest."

Strucker chuckled, "So she's behaving like an injured animal. I don't want injured animals Dr. List, I want soldiers."

"But." List pushed, "Her skills when she _does_ react... I'm confident you'll be impressed with those."

The Baron had yet to be amused so List scurried over to the woman. "She doesn't remember much of anything. But Mr. Barnes makes her very alert."

Chelsea had already rolled her head in List's direction at the sound of his name. The doctor handed her the soldier's headshot and she held it to her chest, rolling over and curling back into herself.

"Doctor I fail to see-"

"Please." He waved to a far corner of the room where one of the men clutched a nightstick menacingly. "Please take the picture from Miss Jones."

Every time the picture was different. Sometimes they were newer, his hair longer, his eyes dark and cold. But every so often they gave her one of him as a soldier, smiling, hair cut neatly, and stormy eyes sparkling. The bottom line was she wasn't too worried about how the picture looked. All that mattered was not letting anyone have it.

Strucker was thoroughly amused.

Chelsea Jones went from being dead-weight on the floor to almost cat-like. Every time she beat one man List called for two more. He could see the blood on her knuckles from across the room. "Marvelous. But what use is the soldier in this?"

"Once he returns, we can mold him to be susceptible to a partner perhaps."

The Baron was pleased, "I think that would work wonderfully."

* * *

"Welcome back."

Chelsea's thoughts were half in space as she wandered through the airport. But hearing Sharon's voice snapped her back into reality. "Hey!"

She squeezed the blonde tight. Despite being confused she was happy to see the woman, "I thought Stark was sending a car for me."

"I wanted to get to you first. How was Chantilly?"

The woman laughed, "So he _did_ tap my phone."

"We were just worried. After what happened to you... it was odd that you just, up and left."

Chelsea sighed, "Chantilly was..." she continued smiling, "...It was what I needed. Quiet gardens, more cheese than I should have ingested, and a lot of wine."

The women laughed together and walked out to the black suburban, "And a man or two I hope?"

"Just one. A big, soft, mentally unstable thrill ride that one was."

"French men are complicated."

Chelsea smirked, "I didn't say he was french."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

 **Sixth Sense**

 **A/N: This is sort of one continuos part. Which I don't usually do...**

* * *

"You really have to tell me what's so great about France, you've been to Chantilly what... three times in the past six months?"

Chelsea just smiled at Maria Hill from the other side of the woman's desk. She adjusted the collar on her Stark Industries uniform shirt and nodded, "It's quiet."

"Quiet? You fly to France for quiet?"

"I can't exactly lock myself in my room here. And my mother won't exactly leave me be if I go there..."

Maria laughed as she settled behind her desk and put her elbows on the table, "I'm glad you're feeling better. How's your memory?"

Chelsea hesitated. It was a formal question that Hill felt she had to ask. Stark insisted she move into the tower for her own comfort and safety. On the one hand, the opulence was nice, but on the other, Jarvis had complete access to her most of the time. She was still being monitored; brain waves and sleep patterns in an attempt to pull out whatever it was she couldn't or wouldn't remember. It took everything she had to not think about _him_ in too much detail.

Protecting James was still top priority to her. And having him star in her dreams too often could be dangerous for them both. It could falsely implement her as Hydra and it could reveal him to people who'd torment him further.

"It's better. Stronger. But...you already know that."

"I do. You've been doing excellent intelligence work. Widow wanted me to reach out to you and thank you for helping with the Sudan mission."

"Not sure how much help I was sitting here behind a desk."

Maria nodded, "You're more help than you think you are."

"You didn't bring me here to pat me on the back, Maria."

The other woman sat up straight and sighed, "I brought you here to show you this."

Chelsea physically reacted to the picture she was shown. Dr. List' face was emotionless in the image and Chelsea found herself clenching her fists and holding her breath. "Do you know who this is?" Maria asked.

"Dr. List. He..."

"We know." another image came up, this one moved slightly, almost smiling and seemed to be from a point of view, "Jarvis pulled this from your subconscious. This was him working on you wasn't it?"

A tear escaped her eye and Chelsea wiped it furiously, "It is."

 **"I am sorry if this imagery is upsetting Miss Jones. But our allies have come across this man and he has gotten away. I am confident that with the help of my scans of your subconscious, we can find where he may have gone."**

"Allies?"

"Shield is still running outside of this Tower." Maria continued, "Fury put Coulson in charge of agents at the Playground, and they've been maneuvering using your intelligence work and what Jarvis has put together from your memories."

Chelsea stood and paced the room, "Did you say Coulson? He's dead!"

"No, he isn't. This was news you should have been given when you were promoted but there wasn't time to allow you to process it."

She stopped pacing and took a deep breath, "Things that I can't even remember voluntarily we're being shared without my knowledge."

 **"Your mind during your capture was at it's most vulnerable. Most of the intelligence I've shared with Shield were pieces of background conversations, documents that may have come across your field of vision, and faces that you still may not register."**

"You've been using me as a data mine!"

"Yes we have." there really was no time to allow the woman to play victim, "You were there, front row, Loki's Scepter shows up in your memory several times so you've seen it and somewhere in your mind you know where it is."

"They drugged me I don't remember anything."

"You have to try."

 **"There were several sensory imprints on your brain that allowed me to map where you may have been held. Starting from where your mission took a turn."** A holographic map appeared in the middle of the room and Chelsea folded her arms, taking notice of the blinking dot just outside of Russia, where she turned off her tracker, **"Temperature, smells, and even things you saw with your own eyes have given me this."**

The 3D town seemed incomplete. But it was just that it was reduced mostly to piles of rubble, "Sokovia." Chelsea said without hesitating.

"What?"

 **"Sokovia has been in a perpetual state of unrest for the past year. It escalated six months ago in riots and I believe Miss Jones has a memory of this."**

It was strange seeing her own memory played back.

 _"_ _Shchit pokryvayet to, chto oni delali zdes' . Ty dolzhen idti. Eto nebezopasno."_ _Shield is covering up what they did here. You should go. It's not safe. An older gentleman was standing on the outskirts of the commotion, he seemed upset and reserved._

 _"_ _Kto-nibud' , chtoby pomoch' ?"_ _Has anyone come to help?_

 _"Prosto bol'she soldat , chtoby sprovotsirovat' yeshche bol'sheye nasiliye." Just more soldiers to instigate more violence._

"I approached them." Chelsea narrated her own memory, "The people instigating the riots were talking of taking back what Shield stole. I was confused because they looked like Shield soldiers to me."

 _"_ _Pochemu by shchit dat' mne sily protiv sebya ?_ _" Why would Shield give me power against itself?_

 _"Because we are not Shield."_

Maria was in shock, "They made you immediately."

"I managed to get away long enough to find a hideout of some sort. But it was small, nothing like the place where they held me."

 **"Miss Jones came into contact with these men."**

Three more faces appeared and Chelsea named them all in turn, "Mark Smith, Mark Basso, and Wolfgang Von Strucker." she sighed, "Smith and Basso used to be Shield, I've come across each of them before... and Strucker oversaw what List did to me. I'm pretty sure he's the one funding this branch of Hydra."

The other woman moved to stand next to her, "Jarvis can you show us what you found?"

The image caused another involuntary reaction from Chelsea. Her eyes widened and watered up again, "What...where..?"

 **"This is Novi Grad. Again, using your own sensory imprints I've been able to match them to varying world maps and this is what fit best."**

She could only nod, "In the castle."

"Are you sure?"

"It was always cold. The air was damp and the walls and floors were made of stone. It was like being in a cave. It has to be the castle." the woman could almost feel the cold stone floor on her back and how her screams echoed in the high ceilings. She fell into a nearby chair and tried to breathe evenly.

Maria frowned at her and moved back to her desk, "Thank you, Jarvis."

 **"Should I make the call for you Miss Hill?"**

"I'll do it."

The maps and images vanished and the office returned to some normalcy. Chelsea wiped her eyes, "What is this call?"

"We need to make a move on Novi Grad, I'm calling Coulson."

"Agents aren't going to be enough."

Maria nodded, "I'm sure he'll want to send in the Avengers. But he makes the call."

"I want to go."

"Chelsea-"

"I need to be there." she interrupted, "If they go, I go. Just this once."

The women stared at each other and Maria gave in. "Fine. I'll call you when it's done." Chelsea stood to leave and made it all the way to the door. "Jarvis can't access anything in your brain about Chantilly."

She stopped and turned back, "Excuse me?"

"No sounds, no smells, and all of your brain's visual activity with that city look like they came out of a magazine."

"What are you trying to say, Maria?"

"Where have you been going?"

Chelsea's gaze narrowed. "Chantilly, France."

The office door slammed and Maria knew she should feel bad. But something was off. "Jarvis."

 **"Yes Miss Hill."**

"Can you show me Chelsea's most recent memory from France?"

 **"Of course."** It was vibrant and real. A pond, fountains, birds chirping, and flowers blowing in the breeze. **"She stayed at the Dolce Chantilly. Mr. Stark paid for her room."**

"And the two times before that?"

 **"No memories such as this one and no statements for a hotel stay. Same as last you checked."**

She gave in. Whatever secret the woman was keeping, Maria would let her have it, for now.

* * *

 _"Stay."_

The picture didn't seem to belong behind the glass of the small frame. But Chelsea had placed it there so that every small rip and wrinkle would remind her of what she went through. James and Gabriel smiled at her but she couldn't really help but frown. _"I can't."_

" **Miss Jones, you have a visitor."**

A small monitor on her desk showed said visitor just outside her door. Steve stood with both hands deep in his pockets and concern all over his face. No doubt he was here to talk her out of tagging along to Novi Grad. She buzzed him in and sat back in her chair.

"You can't talk me out of it."

He frowned as he barely made it through the door before he was denied, "How did you know I'd try?"

"I know you."

"I just want to keep you safe."

"It's a little late for that." Her question as to whether or not Steve Rogers could frown the ultimate frown was answered. She stood from her chair and moved around her desk, "I'm a soldier just as much as you are."

He sighed and crossed his arms, "I know that. But this is different."

"Really?"

"They tortured you."

"In the end they made me better…"

"Is that really how you see it?"

"It's what helps me sleep at night."

" **Miss Hill for you."** Jarvis patched the ex-commander through.

" _Of course you know what this call is about."_ Maria's voice floated into the room.

Chelsea continued to grin at Steve, "What great timing."

" _We are a go for an assault on Novi Grad. Captain, the Avengers are on their way and you are cleared to depart upon their arrival. Chelsea, you'll be running in-field Operation Command between the Captain and the ground team. They're ready to deploy when you are."_

"I should get going then."

Steve grabbed her arm as she moved to leave her office. "Be careful."

She grabbed his forearm back, "How about you focus on capturing the men who did this to me…" there was a glint in her eyes, "Or kill them. Either works for me."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

 **A Little Party Never Killed Nobody**

 **A/N: So glad you all are enjoying this so far. The reviews are very helpful and keep me going. Hints of a AU Oneshot that i've been working on near the beginning. Feel free to ask about it, I'm pretty excited.**

* * *

 _"We're incoming, Jones. ETA five minutes."_

"You're all clear here on the ground, Mr. Stark. Perimeter has been set."

 _"How ya holding up?"_

"I'm cold and could use a stiff drink but I'll live."

 _"We'll see about that drink when this is over."_

Chelsea Jones couldn't help her grin as she gave her attention back to the bustling Shield agents around her. She changed channels on her com and said, "Avengers ETA three minutes. Teams one and two meet at the west border of camp, three and four you're on standby."

As she continued on two men joined her in step and she continued as the fresh snow started to shift, as if being blown around, "Bring the humvee we grabbed and the bike to the west border of camp."

"Yes ma'am."

The temperature change from the Quinjet engine was just enough to warm her cheeks a bit and she tried to take a deep breath and remain calm. She wasn't technically in charge. But she'd be who Maria looked to to supplement Steve's report when this was over.

Speaking of, the blonde didn't seem all that excited to see her.

"Jones."

"Steve."

He didn't acknowledge her any further. Instead he stood next to her with his arms crossed. Almost like a dad observing her new friends. The rest of the team approached her in turn; Tony and Doctor Banner didn't need introductions, neither did Natasha and Clint, not really anyway. She had yet to meet Thor though. He was larger than life, and much taller than she expected. For a moment a look of recognition crossed his face before he broke into a charming smile, "Just like meeting Ares himself."

Chelsea held out her hand and asked, "God of war?"

"He reincarnated as a woman once..." He followed with a chuckle as if to avoid the subject and shook her hand, "I hear you're quite the warrior. We respect those where I'm from."

"Thank you."

Steve looked just as confused when she turned to him. "And I thought you were weird."

"Just old."

"Feel like I should look into that Ares thing..." She trailed off and handed him her tablet, seizing the opportunity to shove her cold hands in her pockets, "Here's your route through the woods. Totally avoids the city."

"And these red dots?"

"Sentries, guard towers, bunkers, the works. We grabbed one of their humvees so you'll blend a little. But that won't last long."

They caught up to the rest of the team at the west border. They waited under a white tent housing cases of weapons, beeping computers, and several analysts that monitored the castle and the city. "So what do you suggest?"

Chelsea pointed to the humvee and bike, "Well those are your rides." she eyed Stark and Thor, "For those of you that can't fly anyway. I've brought along surface to air missiles..." Steve narrowed his gaze, "..small ones." she assured him, "And enough men to aid you on foot."

"How many?"

"Two hundred."

Clint raised his brows, "Isn't that a bit excessive?"

The woman's answer was expanding a small hologram. A man rotated slowly, covered in glowing armor, "Re-imagined Chitauri armor. Dr. Lists's main goal in being here." Lists face now rotated on the table.

Natasha zipped her suit up to her chin against the cold, "Any insight on it?"

"It's the exoskeletal equivalent to having your brain scrambled and/or serum pumped into you." Steve caught her gaze, again, "They're strong, but not unbeatable. Ground teams have upgraded weapons to handle the armor."

Tony clunked over and put his helmet on, "Then let's give 'em hell."

Chelsea followed them all over to the humvees and waited patiently while they loaded up. "The ground teams will be right behind you. They're just waiting for my call."

Dr. Banner sort of stood off from the car and Natasha noticed, "Need a ride?"

He smiled nervously, "I'll go on foot, thanks."

Thor and Stark took to the air and Steve sat on the bike, covered his head and turned to Chelsea, "I'll be back."

The woman couldn't really help her half of a smile. "I know you will." she answered him.

As they pulled off Doctor Banner turned to her. "You've never seen this before." It wasn't a question, but a very true statement. She still shook her head and he frowned just a touch, "You should step back."

She shakily put a hand to her ear, trying to ignore her heart beating as his footfalls became less, "Team one and two, deploy. Teams three and four, standby."

* * *

 _"Shit!"_

 _"Language!"_

Chelsea felt her face screw up but questioned anyway, "What happened?"

 _"I don't know."_ Steve chimed, _"Jarvis, whats the view from upstairs?"_

 **"The central building is protected by some kind of energy shield."** The AI brought up a visual for the woman as he spoke, **"Strucker's technology is well beyond any other Hydra base we've taken."**

" _Loki's scepter must be here. Strucker couldn't mount this defense without it."_ the god took a moment before continuing, almost to himself, _"At long last."_

" _At long last is lasting a little long."_

" _Yeah, I think we lost the element of surprise."_

"Can't lose what we've never had, Agent Barton." Chelsea chimed in, "I dispatched teams three and four ten minutes ago. They should be on your flank."

" _Wait a second. No one is going to deal with the fact that Cap just said, language?"_

Chelsea smirked as Steve defended himself meekly, _"I know…. it just slipped out."_ Her comic reprieve was cut short as little alarms started blaring through the tent.

"Jarvis-" she didn't need to finish, **"I see them Miss Jones. Several critical impact points."** he patched in Tony, **"Sir, the city is taking fire."**

"We can't send in soldiers. They won't be well received and I have none to spare." the woman reminded the billionaire.

" _Send in the Iron Legion."_

Jarvis did the preverbal legwork and Chelsea pulled up the Iron legion feed. Her closest monitor split into five separate video feeds, each showing from the perspective of an Iron Legion bot. She frowned deeply at chants of _'Avengers go home.'_ She closed the feed and shut off her com, trying to just breathe. This was happening whether the people wanted it to or not.

" _Clint!"_

She tuned back in, "Somebody talk to me."

" _We have an enhanced in the field."_ Was Steve's reply. Followed by, _"Clint's hit!"_ From Romanov.

The woman didn't need to tell the other what to do, there was a time where Natasha outranked her. There were no orders to give. She crumbled the papers under her hands, "Ma'am?"

"I'm fine."

Why was she here again? To move the peons about? To type up a report once she returned to her desk?

" _Drawbridge is down people."_

To be relieved of how useless she'd felt as of late. Giving her a moment away from her desk so when she returned to it she wouldn't complain. Asking to be here…telling Maria she _needed_ to be here was suddenly a regret. She wasn't really needed anywhere anymore.

" _Barton's hit pretty bad. We need EVAC."_

Chelsea started to answer Natasha but was interrupted, _"I can take Barton to the jet. The sooner we're gone the better. You and Stark secure the scepter."_

She placed her COM on the nearest table as she was sure the Avengers continued addressing each other and handling their mission, and walked away. She was called after again, "Ma'am?"

"Pack it up." She ordered. "I'm sure they can take it from here."

* * *

"Care to explain to me why you went off COMS?"

Chelsea continued to glare down at the scepter, glowing, almost innocently, in it's case. "Not really."

"You have nothing to say about Strucker? Or List?"

She took a deep breath, "Tony killed List without hesitation. Whether it was for my benefit or not is beyond the point and Strucker is in custody."

Steve grabbed her arm, gently turning her to him, "You're just telling me things I already know."

"So?"

"Chelsea please. This is a big deal for all of us."

She finally looked at him, focusing on his blue eyes, "Is it? Did my being there aid in victory somehow?" he frowned at her and she continued, "I don't like telling anyone I was wrong…but I was. I didn't need to be there."

His hand found her back, "I'm glad you were."

She swayed towards him a bit, halting herself as she realized it was just the jet making it's final approach. "Home sweet home." Tony chimed.

Landing was always a jostling feeling and Chelsea gathered her things as Steve wandered off to squat in a corner to compile his own belongings. The door came down with a hiss and Thor followed Barton and Romanov with the scepter tucked under his arm.

Maria Hill walked onto the jet and addressed Tony, "Lab's all set up boss."

The billionaire pointed to Steve, "Oh actually he's the boss. I just pay for everything and design everything and make everyone look cooler."

Chelsea smirked as she handed Maria her own gathered mission data as the woman passed and Steve stood to greet her, "What's the word on Strucker?"

"Nato's got him."

"And the two enhanced?"

"Wanda and Pietro Maximoff." Chelsea glanced over at the image frozen on Maria's tablet as she showed the blonde. They were frozen in anger until their shouting was brought to life with a swipe of the avenger's finger. "They're twins. Orphaned at ten when a shell collapsed their apartment building."

Their talking died off and Chelsea stayed behind to help Tony store away the quinjet. "You did a good job."

He finally spoke up after a moment.

"I don't know about that. I wasn't really needed."

"Don't kid yourself." He pat her on the shoulder, "This was about closure for you. You did need to be there."

The woman nodded, "So you heard?"

"We all did, small aircraft you know? Voices carry."

She chuckled, "I wish I could have moved on without it."

"Not how closure works unfortunately."

That pulled another small chuckle and a grin. They walked across the landing dock and into the building, approaching the elevator to the main levels of the tower. "I didn't need to think about it by the way." Tony started as the elevator doors closed.

"Killing List you mean?"

He nodded, "I've seen your brain. The memories, the dreams… what they did to you… I knew that if I saw either of them in there I would do what I did. No hesitations."

Chelsea Jones had come to respect Tony Stark as a man and not just as a hero over the last eight months. He'd helped her piece her life back together and today gave her back a power she hand't even realized she'd lost. "Thank you."

"It's noting. Also, I better see you at the party. You'll find an allowance for new clothes, if you like. Versace, Chanel, whatever. Go crazy."

The woman laughed.

He pat her shoulder again as the elevator opened and he walked out into the laboratory and study level. She could see Clint was being treated with Natasha close by, of course, and nodded at Bruce when he caught her eye just before the door closed.

Her legs almost buckled as she was left alone. Almost. **"Are you alright Miss Jones?"**

"Yes Jarvis, just more relieved than I thought i'd be."

" **Understood…"** he paused, **"I'm being summoned. But you'll find a hot bath ready in your room."**

"Thank you." Even the AI looked out for her.

She was very much looking forward to the bath and some peace of mind. If only it were that easy.

Steve just sort of shrugged at the woman with his expression. He was still in uniform, tablet tucked under his arm. Her legs were doing that thing again, going all weak and wobbly. An involuntary way of saying _"I am comfortable here. I am safe. Relax."_

"How long have you been down here?"

He shrugged for real, "Doesn't matter."

"Is there something you need?"

"I actually just wanted to know if you'll go to Stark's party with me."

Chelsea felt the chuckle rise in her gut but he was serious. She forced down the laugh and rose an eyebrow, "Well, I guess a little party never killed nobody."

"Is that a yes?"

"It is."

There. _That_ grin that she was sure he'd gotten from James by osmosis. It made her smile drop, almost instantly. Steve noticed the immediate change, "Are you ok?"

She hit the button to the door of her room in a hustle, dropping her gaze and avoiding eye-contact. So fast in fact that the fingerprint reader almost hadn't caught her prints. "I'm fine. And I think, maybe, I should just meet you there."

The blonde was left facing her closed door. His elation evaporated as fast as it'd come. "Sure."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

 **No Strings On Me**

 **A/N: I'll do my best to not blatantly recount the movie. I know how boring that can be…**

* * *

"How is New York treating you?"

Chelsea grinned at her mother as she went about mopping the floor, "It's no D.C. but it's not bad. Ms. Potts and Tony are taking good care of me. Bruce is a good neighbor."

The woman's mother just smiled at her, "You're on a first name basis with Tony Stark?"

An eye roll, "I'm supposedly not allowed to call him Mr. Stark, at least not to his face." And Chelsea didn't see Pepper often enough to really talk to the woman. They got along fine when she was home. But that was so rare.

Sylvia stepped away from wiping the mirrored wall to watch her daughter mop. She seemed better, almost happy, but there was something. "I get that you won't tell me what happened to you. But…are you ok?"

Chelsea sighed, "It's not that I won't. It's that I can't. I'm here now, that's what matters, and I'm fine."

"You're my daughter, Chelsea. I don't care how much spy training you've had. You can't fool me." The older woman jumped as the wooden handle of the mop her daughter held snapped clean in half.

The younger woman sighed, "So I might be a little different…and a little stressed." she pouted at the mop. Her mother's questions just made her so tense.

"You've never been able to do that before!"

"I was changed while I was gone, mom. Something was done to me and now I'm…"

"Like them?"

"Not quite Avenger material, but close." she set the splintered wood down and crossed her legs in the middle of the floor. She looked into the mirror across the room, "I don't even think I'm me anymore."

"You _are_ still Chelsea Gabrielle Jones. You're still my child."

"I know that." she finally moved her gaze as her view of the mirror was blocked by her mother's face.

"Then that's all you need to know." Sylvia searched her child's face. There was something else there. It was almost a far off dreamy look. "Who is he?"

"Who is who?"

"The man on your mind."

Now that warranted a chuckle. Did her mother mean the fugitive out of time she was risking everything for? Or the blue-eyed force behind what she felt was her utter inadequacy?

"It's complicated."

Sylvia bought it, for now. "Leading two lives can break you, Chelsea. Maybe you should let someone else lead."

Somehow her mother always seemed to be so dead on. She guessed that's just what mothers do. "I can't exactly be normal."

The older woman smiled and stood, turning to retire to her office before her next class, "Then be great."

* * *

"Who are you looking for man?"

Sam wasn't really finding it hard to enjoy himself while Steve was busy scanning the party patrons. It was moreso that it was annoying.

"Chelsea. I think I should go check on her. She should be here by now."

"Maybe she decided not to come."

Right. She was a two floors below a sparkling in her apartment, reading a book. "I doubt that."

"We'll come across her sooner or later man. You need to relax."

The man was right of course but the soldier couldn't help but feel uneasy. She had so strangely turned him down three days ago. It was as if she was suddenly panicked, and when he confronted Tony about it later he'd been told an eye would be kept on her. Come tonight, he was told she was fine. Nothing out of the ordinary.

"You're right. How about some pool?"

"So I can just kick your butt?"

"Hey!" Sam threw an arm around Chelsea's nearly bare shoulders in half of a hug before turning to Steve, " _Somebody_ was a little worried about you."

The woman shifted her stance and smiled at Steve, "Nothing to worry about. I said I'd meet you here didn't I?"

The blonde felt himself relax, completely, "You did." He then took notice of her dress. Simple enough as it was; royal blue velvet with thin straps, a plunge he ghosted over, and fitted close to her skin all the way to her knees.

Chelsea put her hand on her thigh, "Past my fingertips, dad."

Sam spluttered his drink just enough for it to be funny without being undignified, "Let's just play some pool."

It was a vibe they didn't get to enjoy often. Everyone laughing and in their element. No one was overthinking anything, or really thinking at all. Their comfort levels at an all time high even if just for the moment. Chelsea soaked it in. Every detail. Every smiling face.

"I'm done playing this game with you." she declared, pulled Steve's jacket closer around her shoulders.

The avenger shook his head, "Same here. You can have it."

Falcon laughed and grabbed his drink off the table, "Alright alright. Tell me about your latest success."

Steve recounted Novi Grad, looking to Chelsea for some input here and there, which she gave with a smile. They rounded a corner and headed up a few stairs to overlook the rest of the party, "Sounds like one hell of a fight. Sorry I missed it."

"If you wanted to freeze in the cold with me I would have invited you." The woman chimed.

"No, I'm not actually sorry. I'm just trying to sound tough." He locked eyes with Chelsea for a moment, "I'm very happy tracking cold leads on our missing person's case."

The woman rolled her eyes but grinned none the less, "Don't look at me!"

Steve nudged her gently and Sam continued on, "Well, Avenging is your world." he addressed them both, "And your world is crazy."

"Be it ever so humble." was the blonde's answer, although pointed to the woman.

"Living here isn't _that_ glamorous." She tried to play the statement off as she tried not to think about how much her dress cost.

"Speaking of living." the conversation was turned back to the soldier, "Have you found a place in Brooklyn?"

"I don't think I can afford a place in Brooklyn."

Sam shrugged, "Well, home is home you know?"

Steve's gaze fell at that and Chelsea noticed. She took a deep breath and grabbed his elbow gently. Just a small comforting gesture. She grinned when he looked at her, "Drink?"

"Sure."

The party turned around again. The smiles seemed to never stop. All the way up until the party died down and the core group found themselves relaxing amongst each other. She was still rather comfortable hugged to Steve's left arm after a riveting, alcohol fueled tale about Ares and his many reincarnations. Currently though, Clint was not quite believing the god's latest tale about his hammer.

"But it's a trick."

Thor reached over to pass Steve his flask, "No no, it's much more than that."

The bowman dropped his voice an octave or two and mocked, "Who so ever be thee worthy shall haveth the power!" he scoffed, "Whatever man! It's a trick!"

The god motioned to the hammer, "Please be my guest."

Everyone fell silent and Clint's eyes widened. He put down the drumsticks that he'd gotten from god knows where and stood up. Tony egged him on, "Now Clint, you've had a tough week. We won't hold it against you if you can't get it up."

Chelsea covered her face with Steve's jacket as she laughed harder than she meant you. Almost in tears.

After a failed attempt Tony was up, "Please Stark, by all means."

He opened his jacket with a flourish and approached the hammer, "I'm never one to shrink from an honest challenge. It's physics."

Again Chelsea couldn't hold her laughter together, much to Steve's amusement as she kept trying to hide her face in his arm.

"So if I lift it, I then rule Asgard?" Tony asked.

"Yes, of course." was the nonchalant reply.

The rest of the attempts went by in sort a teary eyed blur as every try was funnier than the last. Bruce flexing his hands and roaring after he failed was almost too much for the woman.

Steve looked at her and she tried to recover, nodding, "I believe in you."

He stood and approached the table confidently. He rolled up his sleeves and took a breath. Chelsea pretended to sip her drink which was mostly melted ice and Jack at this point as the hammer tiled just a touch and Thor's face fell. No one else saw it, luckily for the god as he grinned when Steve gave up.

Everyone turned to Natasha and she laid across the couch, "No no. That's not a question I need answered."

Tony stood also, "It's rigged."

Clint agreed, "You bet your ass."

Maria seized the moment and gasped like a little girl, "Steve! He said a bad language word."

The solder turned slightly pink in the cheeks, "Did you tell everyone about that?"

Chelsea was back to giggling and near falling over. There was something about fingerprints as Thor stood and picked up his weapon. She tuned back in at, "…you all are not worthy."

Which the chorus was, "Boo!" and "Oh c'mon."

In a split second, the entire vibe of the night was shattered by the P.A system blaring loudly before falling to a whine. Steve took out his controller to try and remedy the noise but it had passed and been replaced by dripping oil and dragging metal.

" **Wooooorrrrrthhyyyyyy…"**

Everyone was on their feet. Slowly, at first. As they tried to decipher the man standing across the room. It turned as it spoke, showing them it's unfinished shell, **"No. How could you be worthy? You're all killers."**

Steve demanded answers with a simple call of, "Stark?"

To which the billionaire called, "Jarvis?"

" **Sorry. I was asleep. …Or…I was a dream."**

Chelsea recognized the discarded legion suit as it continued to circle itself. She felt for her purse, carefully, and clutched the metal bar-like handle, detaching it from the rest of the bag.

" **There was this terrible noise and I was tangled in…in…strings. Had to kill the other guy. He was good guy."**

The woman allowed Steve to move in front of her slightly, "You killed someone?"

" **Wouldn't have been my first call. But, down in the real world we're faced with ugly choices."**

"Who sent you?" Thor addressed…it.

" _I see a suit of armor around the world."_

Banner turned to Tony, "Ultron."

" **In the flesh. Or no…not yet. Not this…chrysalis."**

The metal tube in Chelsea's hand extended silently. Just a little. More like baton size; like the model before Stark made her a set of state-of-the-art upgraded versions. She tapped Steve's hip with it to let him know she had it. His nod was ever so slight.

She heard Maria cock her gun.

" **But I'm ready. I'm on a mission."**

"What mission?"

" **Peace in our time."**

Chelsea saw the Iron-legion suits through the wall just before she saw table and went flying over the back of the couch. She tapped Steve to let him know she was fine and extended the staff it's full six feet, kicking off her shoes.

Count everyone in the room. Eight people. Not including herself. But only seven of the eight could handle themselves. "Dr. Cho!"

She couldn't scan fast enough. Deep breath. There! Cho was crouched by the piano and one of those things, or half of one rather, was making its way to her. Chelsea was there a little after it raised it's arm. But she paused just long enough when it backed down to give Steve time to yank it from behind and toss it clear across the room, "Thor!"

The woman dropped to the doctors side, "Are you ok?"

She was granted a nod and it was over just as they stood together.

" **That was dramatic."** the thing shuffled a little further away, **"I'm sorry, I know you mean well. You just didn't think it through. You want to protect the world but you don't want it to change. How is humanity saved if it's not allowed to evolve? There's only one path to peace, the Avengers extinction."**

The monologue was brought to a close when Mjolnir crushed the bot's chest cavity. **"I had strings, but now I'm free…"**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

 **Theta Protocol**

 **A/N: This was so hard to write. For real… I basically skipped an hour of Age of Ultron so I'm sorry if the timeline is awkward. Also short because struggle.**

* * *

"Look at them. They're like zombies."

Maria glanced up at Chelsea as she watched the various heroes just sort of wandering about like the undead from the security feed. Granted no one had slept, but they were more than just tired. Each of them seemed to be working on something, but their eyes…

"They'll figure it out."

She sighed as she watched Steve pace the hall a few floors down, "I hope so."

"Are _you_ ok?"

"My back hurts but I'll live."

"That's not what I meant."

She tsked and turned back to the map she'd painstakingly printed, assembled, and tacked to the wall. With the cap of a red marker in her mouth she said, "I'm fine, Hill."

Maria stood and approached her, handing her a list of more labs and weapons facilities. Chelsea denied the paper and capped the marker, "Don't need it." They both stepped back from the map whose red circles and lines said absolutely nothing. "Circling more places isn't going to tell me where he is. Besides, he's not traveling, he's stealing."

"Well we need to at least try and head him off."

The other woman clicked her tongue and tapped her foot, "If we knew what he was building… The CEO's of these companies have nothing in common and they're not criminals… We need a breadcrumb, a huge breadcrumb."

The tablet in Maria's arms beeped. Chelsea watched her swipe away until she stopped. Her hand hovering above the surface. "What?"

She held back for just a second before she handed the tablet over, "Ask and you shall receive."

Peace. What the hell was that supposed to mean? "I think you should give Steve the report."

The brunette regarded her warily, "You sure?"

The other nodded, "I need a minute."

Maria offered her a reassuring touch on the arm left Chelsea in the office alone. She grabbed the nearest chair and put her head in her hands. "Just breathe."

" _You are lucky Fraulein." He hadn't waited for her to answer. Given that her face was still numb, she most likely wouldn't have been intelligible anyway, "Dr. List is showing you a kindness you would not have seen from me."_

 _He circled her chair, "If you were my subject, you might not have even lived to now."_

It was true. While List opted for older methods to scramble her mind and warp her body, Strucker would have zapped her with god knows what and she would have turned out like them. Or dead.

She'd remembered the twins; barely. Their cells were set into the shadowed part of the room, and she was so drugged when she was paraded out that she'd seriously thought maybe the blurs and floating objects were her imagination.

Now she knew they weren't.

Chelsea flexed her arm and watched the veins raise under her skin. She was still here, still Chelsea Jones, and still human.

She turned back to the security feed and saw Maria and Steve on the stairs. The woman handed him the tablet and he paused.

" _Has she seen this?"_

Maria glanced at the general area of the camera, instinctively knowing the other woman was watching and reading their lips which made Chelsea smirk just a little, _"Yes."_

" _Is she ok?"_

Another glance, " _She's fine."_

The ex agent lent back in the chair and looked up at the ceiling. Her gaze didn't lower until her ex commander entered the room, "Thanks."

"I knew he'd ask."

"And I hoped you'd tell him I was fine. I'm starting to get really tired of being asked if I'm ok."

"We're just worried."

"Which is the problem."

Their conversation was cut short by, **"Ladies."**

"Yeah Tony?" Maria answered.

" **Hold down the fort, we're going on a trip."**

"Fishing?" Chelsea asked.

" **For very big fish."**

The women looked at each other. "They made a connection." Maria started.

Chelsea looked at her map, "A breadcrumb is all it takes." she tapped her foot some more, "I think i'll try to sleep."

"Good idea."

"Ring me in two hours?"

"Two hours?"

"Did I say sleep? I meant nap."

Maria allowed herself a chuckle, "See you in two."

She walked the hall with her head down and approached the elevator. She'd almost forgotten to press the button as there was no more Jarvis to open it automatically and know where she needed to go. He may have just been an AI, but she considered him a friend.

The doors opened and she looked up to step in, but what she thought would be an empty elevator housed the soldier himself, "Hey." she tried.

"I wanted to see you before I left." he had already changed and had his thumbs tucked in his uniform belt.

"Did Maria not tell you I was ok?"

"I just wanted to be sure."

Chelsea sighed and entered, moving to the opposite wall, "I'm still in one piece."

He crossed the elevator and grabbed her shoulders, "I'm sorry."

She knew that. But she also knew that Steve wasn't a killer. He was the man who would always choose the many over the one. Bucky crossed her mind and made her smile; ok, maybe not always.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Chelsea reached up to the star on his chest and lightly hit him with her balled fist, "You'll be back."

His smile could have been more convincing, but she understood the strain, "You know I will."

* * *

"You told me to ring you."

Chelsea rubbed her eyes and crossed her arms over her bare middle. Maria called her up on an urgent matter but surprisingly had let her sleep for almost six hours. She rushed to the other woman's aid in just the sports bra and sweatpants she'd drifted off in, "I did, after two hours. What's going on?"

"This."

The wall lit up with every major news station around the globe and it took a lot for her to keep her jaw off the floor, "Holy shit."

"It's a media field day."

"You let me sleep for five hours instead of waking me up when it was happening!" The woman moved to her own station and woke her computer. Trying to dial out to the Quinjet.

"It all happened so fast and you needed the sleep… You won't get through."

"Why the hell not?"

"Communication has been cut. For their safety."

Her heart was pounding. "Do you know where they are?"

A nod.

"Well?"

"It's classified."

"No. This isn't Shield, Maria, and you don't outrank me anymore. I have a right to know." that wasn't going to crack her and Chelsea knew it. But it didn't hurt to try.

"I'm sorry."

She took a deep breath and said to herself, "He'll be back."

Maria frowned, "Fury checked in. They'll be ok."

It calmed her a little. Although she wasn't told his location, she had been told once her mind had settled that Fury was still alive. But things must have gone bad if he stepped in. "Wait, have you been in contact with him all this time?"

Maria took a deep breath, "Yes, I have."

"So I just told you that I felt like I belonged nowhere yet Shield has been up and running while I sit here having my mind looked at under a microscope! I could have been doing something!"

"Last I checked, _Agent Jones_ , you've been doing a lot."

Chelsea stilled where she stood. It seemed like even her heart had stopped beating. Nicholas J. Fury approached the two women with his hands in his pockets. "Did you not belong in Canada? Or maybe you didn't belong with the Winter Soldier and wherever it is he went." He moved into her line of sight, "A secret I bet you know."

She couldn't _not_ cry. He had that affect on her. But her gaze held his even still, "My mind was not my own."

"Sure. I could claim the same thing when I put my foot in your ass, Jones. What the hell were you thinking?"

Chelsea chanced a glance at Maria, "Shouldn't you know?"

He chuckled and crossed his arms, "You're right. I do know. And you've been exactly where you needed to be; until now that is."

That could be scary or good with how things were going right now. Fury didn't wait for her before he elaborated, "The Avengers are in South Korea following another lead, a strong one. I need the two of you with me to help with something else."

"You're going to pull us away from helping them to do something different?"

"Oh you're still helping them." he raised a brow at her, "Get dressed. I'm putting Theta Protocol into affect."


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

 **Safe Spaces**

 **A/N: Started off a little rocky but I righted the ship…**

* * *

"Well don't you look sharp."

She didn't like being scrutinized, but her new "uniform" was pretty snazzy. Tony had designed it for her; this of course was option number two as she favored her tactical pants over a catsuit. He was more than happy to create the bathing suit like leotard she normally wore with them, even if he thought sleeveless shirts with a high collar was last season.

" _What's this?" Chelsea pointed out the star stitched on the back. It was only a few shades lighter than the black fabric but still raised and visible; its points spanned over both shoulder blades._

" _It's your sleeveless turtleneck." he mocked._

" _The star, Tony."_

" _Well if I made it white it would ruin your whole stealth thing."_

 _She laughed, "No, I mean why is it there?"_

 _Tony shrugged, "With the company you keep…" his gaze wandered to some sketches for Steve's new uniform, "I thought it fit."_

"Thanks." She gave the bare hallway a once over, "So, are you going to tell me where we are? Since i'm sure Hill already knows…"

They'd pulled up to an abandoned building; surrounded by a rusty fence and cracked "private property" signs. The inside was what one would expect, more rust, holes in the walls, plant life thriving through the cement. But there was an elevator, the doors green and scratched. It had opened without anyone doing or saying a thing and as it took them down an indiscernible amount of floors it was obvious this wasn't just any abandoned building.

"This is the hangar for Theta Protocol."

"Hangar?" for some reason she felt excited. A hangar could only house one thing, and only one airborne thing was the crowning glory of Shield.

Double doors at the end of the hall opened to reveal a control room looking out over a vast hangar where Shield agents and technicians looked like ants bustling along the Helicarrier.

Fury crossed his arms, "Helicarrier 64 was moved here when we started construction on the Insight Carriers. It was to be dismantled but I figured we might need it some day."

Chelsea felt like a kid with her hands and nose pressed to the glass. A kid wielding a weighted electric staff and a Beretta. "I take it today is that day."

"We're headed to Sokovia. I received word from Rogers on the way here." he narrowed his gaze at her, "They're going to need us."

"The civilian population of Sokovia needs to be evacuated. It's a lot of people and the helicarrier will make it easier." Maria continued.

Chelsea was confused, "How?" they couldn't cram another few thousand people into the belly of that thing.

"It's been equipped with evac pods. Primarily for use in case we lose an engine, but they'll come in handy here."

Fury approached her, "Your job, Jones, is to oversee the teams loading in the civilians."

She took a deep breath. A mission, something she hadn't had in almost eight months; even if it was something so simple. "So, I'm an agent again?"

Maria couldn't help but smile at her, "Yes."

"Let's go ladies. Time to save the world."

* * *

"Um..sir?"

Fury turned away from Hill and Jones to face the agent manning the sensors. "What is it?"

"We have an unidentified airborne mass showing up on radar."

"Is it approaching?"

"No sir. Just hovering."

"How big is it?"

"I would say about the size of a small city."

Chelsea stepped around her commander as other agents started to gasp and stand to see. She glanced back at him and Maria, "I think that's because it _is_ a small city."

Maria moved quickly to her seat and started shouting orders and pressing buttons, "I need contact with the Avengers ASAP, check all frequencies and patch us in. All evac teams to the lifeboats."

Fury approached Chelsea and put a hand on her shoulder, "Let's get these people off this rock."

With a nod she moved as quickly as she could to the belly of the ship, fitting a com in her ear on the way, "Hill?"

 _"I have you loud and clear, Jones."_

"What's the situation in the city?"

 _"Unfortunately we're still on approach and haven't heard back yet. Prepare for a class five evac."_

"Hostile. Got it."

Chelsea Jones hand't even noticed her hands were shaking until she reached for the push-bar of the hangar entrance door. It made her come to a full stop. Boots squeaked the floor on the other side and voices shouted orders and names.

 _Why was she here again? To move the peons about? To type up a report once she returned to her desk?_

No. Not this time.

" _I can't exactly be normal." … "Then be great."_

She pushed open the door and took a deep breath, "Everyone prepare for class five evac! Pilot's check-in and I need two paramedics per pod! Let's go people!"

Agents sounded off and checked in, the appropriate people boarding the evacuation pods and readying for her call. Her heart was pounding, but there was nothing quite like being great at being good.

" _Jones do you copy?"_

"Loud and clear. Lifeboats ready to disengage."

" _Lifeboats secure to deploy. Disengage in three, two… take 'em out."_

The things rode a lot smoother than they looked to. Her awestruck facade was quickly wiped away as what looked like several metal men whipped past her pod as it landed, "Ground team form a perimeter around your pod until it's filled. You should be the last ones in. If anything tries to approach…shoot it."

She stepped off the pod and pulled her beretta, already there were incoming suits towards the rushing civilians. She took out two as her ground team handled the rest. To her right she heard a familiar voice, "Steve!"

He trotted over to her and offered a grin. Chelsea lightly punched the star on his chest, "If you weren't going to come back, I had to come to you."

The blonde gestured to the mayhem, "Well…"

"Yeah." she chuckled.

Steve put a hand on her shoulder, his pride almost leaking out of his pores, "Can you take it from here?"

She shot another sentry from over his shoulder, "You know I can. Just… be back this time?"

He saluted as he back away to leave, "You know I will."

" _Number six checking in. We're full and returning to the carrier."_

"Roger that." Chelsea's gaze swung over the rubble, watching as people ran for safety in the boats. An explosion sounded over her shoulder and for a moment lifeboat six dipped in the sky. Before she could call out to the pilot it was lifted and she heard, _"Rhodey, help Jones get these people on that carrier."_

" _Roger that. You've got me Jones. What do you need?"_

"Make sure these things make it into docking. I've got everything covered on the ground."

" _You go it."_

There. She'd never stopped watching the people. Her mind almost analyzing every face she could make out. An old man was making his way over, slowly, as sadly no one stopped to help him. A sentry landed before him, much taller and very menacing.

The woman didn't think she could close the gap so fast and the initial zap from her staff did little more than annoy the thing. But it's attention was on her now, just where she wanted it. She clenched a gloved hand and punched the thing in the face, metal cracked, but she didn't hesitate to use the moment take it to the ground with her staff. It tripped her and stood over her body but she tucked, rolled, and stood to bring down it's head with her hands to her knee. More metal cracking. She bent over for her staff but lifted her foot behind her catching it in the chin and throwing it enough that she could get close and shove the metal in it's chest cavity; administering a high voltage zap this time.

She breathed heavily and felt a touch on her elbow. The old man just nodded at her and she instantly recognized his face.

 _"_ _Kto-nibud' , chtoby pomoch' ?"_ _Has anyone come to help?_

 _"Prosto bol'she soldat , chtoby sprovotsirovat' yeshche bol'sheye nasiliye." Just more soldiers to instigate more violence._

He pat her hand in his gently as she walked him to a lifeboat and helped him into a seat. She stood and turned to survey everything again. In the boat to her left, she could make out Clint Barton.

The woman re-enetered the boat and tapped her pilots on their shoulders, "The avengers are loading up. Take this one back the carrier."

"Roger that ma'am."

Back into the rubble. The last people were loaded into the other boat just as the one behind her lifted off. She could make out Thor and Steve, but she looked over at the other boat and didn't see Clint. A familiar whine rose over the air and the sound of the lifeboat engines. _"Quinjet approaching with unidentified pilot!"_

But it was too late.

All she could do was stand there and watch whoever was flying that thing make a last attempt to kill anyone not in a boat. Chelsea felt like she'd blinked and it was over.

Steve looked up at her as she touched his shoulder. He only frowned and bent down to who Chelsea recognized as Pietro Maximoff. She looked to Clint who picked up the boy he'd saved, "Let's get you guys off this rock."

The men followed her to the last boat. Chelsea entered the cockpit to give a "hover" order. According to Steve, he was unclear if everyone was safe. He wanted to wait as long as possible. When she returned to him he was standing just off the loading deck, surveying the scenery.

She called out to him, "It's over, Steve."

He glanced back at her then looked out again. Just to be sure.

They both felt it though, the slight change in pressure as the landmass almost paused in mid-air before it started to plummet, "Steve!"

She instinctively held out her hand. Once she felt his she threw all of her weight backwards. He'd landed on top of her but they both scrambled to the edge to watch the city drop. With a last glance at each other Chelsea swallowed to coat her dry throat, "Civilians are secure. Returning to the carrier."

" _Good job, Jones."_

Fury's words of encouragement didn't make her feel much butter as Steve was still looking at her with an expression she couldn't make out. "Everyone's ok right?" she asked.

He didn't answer. But his shoulders dropped, relaxing almost, and he reached out and brought her to his chest, catching his breath in her ear. "Like you said. It's over."

* * *

" **State your name."**

"Chelsea Gabrielle Jones."

" **The Great Crusade, correct?"**

She hesitated, "Yes."

" **We have here an account of your performance during the total devastation of Sokovia. Do you have any rebuttals to the information here?"**

Chelsea sat up straighter in the folding chair and tried to ignore the cold and the cliche swinging light. No one sat before her. The small room was empty sans the chair she was in, the intercom on the wall, the swinging light, and the blue Shield folder on the table before her.

"No, I don't."

" **Your performance heading the ground rescue team was exemplary, but…"** a pause, **"We were also provided information about your previous time in Russia. Including the murder of a Shield agent by your hands."**

She chose her next words carefully, "The information should also state my mental state at the time."

" **We are well aware of your situation. However, it is of our own discretion to decide your terms as your mental state is still unclear despite your assessment."**

Another long pause.

" **Are you clear on what you're being asked, Miss Jones?"**

"Yes."

Jail or Shield.

That's what she'd come to understand of this. Fury's last move was to put her through a small program after Sokovia. She re-took the field agent test for Shield and she underwent several therapy sessions as well as brain scans. She'd surpassed her previous scores and was now sitting at a score that tagged her file as inhuman.

Her brain scans however said that she was very much still human.

Whoever was in charge now though. They'd decided she could re-join Shield or rot in a cell for her crimes while she _wasn't herself."_

" **And your answer?"**

She clenched her fists, "Neither."

"… **are you sure?"**

"Yes." she answered without hesitating, "I need a safe space to continue to do good. I'm of no use to anyone in jail and unfortunately Shield can no longer be my home. Not after my betrayal of a fellow agent…a brother."

" **So you choose neither of the only options being given to you?"**

She nodded until she remembered they couldn't see her, "Yes."

"… **Good!"**

Chelsea was confused but couldn't help almost hysterically laughing as the door swung open and Tony walked in with a flourish, "This room is awfully depressing isn't it?"

The woman moved to meet him, "What? Was this just some test?"

"One I was sure you'd pass." he grinned at her, "We both know you do good. But I think I know of a place where you'll do better."

He left the room, again with a flourish and she could only really stand there. Grinning but confused and staring at the space he once occupied. His voice carried in from the hall, "We don't have all day!"

* * *

The car ride had been quiet, but not uncomfortable. Chelsea felt like a little kid when the trees gave way to a grassy field complete with a modern building and landing quinjets. "Tony, are you serious?"

He didn't turn to her as he pulled into a garage laid into the base of the building, but he grinned pretty hard, "Welcome home Jones."

People inside bustled. They were moving boxes, loading weapons, talking and even laughing. She noticed a few familiar faces as she followed Tony through the halls, Maria Hill and Helen Cho; even Eric Selvig was on staff.

"So, I'm an agent here?"

"Actually." Tony stopped walking abruptly and turned to her, "You're a commander here. Roger's requested that Hill oversee the agents, and you will help liaison her work with them to his and Natasha's work with the new team."

"New team?"

"Haven't you heard?" he smirked, "Avengers 2.0."

She frowned, "You're retiring."

"No, just…taking a break." Chelsea stared down at the keycard in her hand. It glistened with the Avengers logo and she turned it over as if fidgeting; almost uneasy. The billionaire wasn't having it, "This isn't too much for you, and you deserve it. You _are_ a hero." he clapped her shoulder, "You'll do just fine."

"Thank you, Tony. Not everyone gets to say they were re-built by Tony Stark."

"Nonsense!" he turned on his heel. "You're already one of a kind."

She'd started walking in her own direction when he called back to her, "And Crusade?"

She chuckled, "Yeah?"

"Keep that nickname."


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

 **Delusions of Grandeur**

 **A/N:** Your follows and favorites are much appreciated guys! Gives me hope and drive. I apologize for this chapter taking so long. It was a hard one to write as I'm trying to stay with my outline/timeline but also please you guys.

* * *

"James?"

Chelsea Jones dropped her bag at the door of the small Bucharest apartment. She hadn't told him she was coming; hoping that her frivolous choice to quench her almost _need_ to see him would be well received. So it went without saying that she hadn't really expected him to be home just yet. But something still didn't seem right.

Not only was the apartment empty, and somehow darker than usual, everything seemed as if it hadn't been touched in days.

She pulled a small pistol from the back of her jeans and called for the soldier again, "James?"

She touched the counter behind the basically bottomless couch and shivered inwardly at the coating of dust. Next she threw open the fridge and was faced with the rancid stench of molded fruits and a wave of flies.

"James!"

"He isn't here fräulein."

Chelsea turned on her heel and pumped three bullets into Strucker's chest without batting an eye. But he stood there once it was over and just sighed like a disappointed father.

"I'm sorry my dear." List frowned as he pat her on the shoulder and walked by to join the other scientist, "That won't work here."

"Where is he?"

"The soldier? He's gone fräulein. This is what happens when you fail at your mission."

The woman was wary, "And what mission is that?"

Strucker stepped forward, putting his hands up as Chelsea raised the gun again, "To protect him, of course."

"He can protect himself."

"Yes, we're well aware. But it doesn't change the fact that your mission was to protect him. Even if it was just from himself."

"James doesn't need my protection! From himself or otherwise." It seemed like she was actually trying to get herself to believe it. She shut her eyes for a moment; she had to be dreaming.

" _Didn't_ , you mean?" Strucker gestured at the empty apartment when she opened her eyes, "I fail to see how."

"Where did he go?"

"Go?" the scientists asked her together, clearly confused by her question. They looked at each other then List approached her, "His mind was fragile. This...this _place_ did nothing to ease that. Nor did being alone."

* * *

"Paranoia."

Chelsea crossed her arms tightly, "I'm not paranoid."

"That's my diagnosis Miss Jones. It's not uncommon for someone in your line of work. I've been seeing you for eight weeks now, this conclusion isn't sudden. Your symptoms-"

"Aren't from paranoia." she cut the therapist off.

The doctor flipped through his notes, by now used to her defiant nature, "Seeing things, nightmares, hearing voices... Miss Jones you _are_ paranoid and you're suffering from symptoms of delusion and PTSD. You've told me on several occasions you're seeing people who are dead."

"He's not dead..."

The man brushed back his hair with one hand. His pen tucked between his fingers, "Alright, Miss Jones, this mysterious man who's name you wont tell me is not dead. But far away, correct?"

"Yes."

"But you keep seeing him." It wasn't a question.

The woman took a deep breath and sighed, "I know he's not really there."

"Then why do you keep seeing him?"

Chelsea Jones took another deep breath. Something she found herself doing a lot during these little sessions. But mostly because she hated when he tried to dig more about James out of her.

"Because I was supposed to protect him and I didn't."

He crossed his legs and put his fingertips under his chin, "You keep saying that. But you also told me originally that he went away on his own so he would be safe. Do you now believe he's unsafe alone?"

"I don't know what to believe anymore."

"Do you love this man?"

He'd never asked her that before. Eight weeks, eight sessions and he asked about James every time but never asked her _that_. Chelsea closed her eyes for a moment. She saw his face, the smile he didn't offer often before it morphed into someone else's and she opened her eyes. "I don't know."

"What I'm sensing is a deep need to be with this person. Being away from them, from him, is causing your dreams and delusions Miss Jones." He eased forward in his chair, tucking his pen and pad away, "Besides the PTSD, you are a soldier adjusting well to life."

She smiled slightly, "I love my job. I love my friends. I _am_ happy. I just..."

"Capture is hard. I've dealt with soldiers held behind enemy lines before. But you were held with someone you care about. That can change your perception of the event."

Not _with him_ per se. More so taunted with his image. Recordings of his screams. Videos of his torture. She closed her eyes again, trying to will away the lump in her throat.

"Take a trip Miss Jones. Anywhere you can clear your head. Do you have a place you like to go to?"

"Yes."

"Go there. For as long as you need to. I am leaving the choice to contact me upon your return solely to you. Your commanding officer doesn't need to know about this."

Chelsea laughed in disbelief, suddenly feeling very vulnerable, "You just told me that I'm a delusional, paranoid soldier suffering from PTSD. But you want me to go off on my own."

He smiled at her, "You're suffering, Miss Jones, it doesn't mean you aren't capable."

* * *

"You really want to talk about this right now?"

"I wanted to talk about it last night but you avoided me."

"I wasn't avoiding you."

"This is serious!"

"Steve, you didn't even know what PTSD was until yesterday."

"It didn't lessen the blow of finding out you have it."

 _ **"Sorry to interrupt, but can you two not argue in front of the children?"**_

Natasha's voice floated into the control room via speakers. But she stood in the training room below with her arms folded.

 _ **"It makes us sad."**_ Sam's voice joined the woman's.

Chelsea glanced over at Steve before pressing the mute button on the room's mic. "The mic was still on."

He huffed before turning to leave the room, "Yeah..."

The woman tossed her curls in frustration before leaning onto the control panel. She offered Natasha a half smile and caught the gaze of their youngest. Wanda Maximov narrowed her gaze in that way she did when she was trying to get in your head.

The older woman averted her eyes and went out into the hall. She was really getting tired of keeping that girl out of what was left of her mind. "Steve, wait."

He stopped walking and put his hands on his hips. Shaking his head, "Why wouldn't you want to talk to me about this, Jones?"

"It's not that I don't want to. _Rogers_." She emphasized his last name as she mimicked his stance, "I'm just tired of being treated like a mental patient."

"You are a-" The avenger stopped as she raised both brows at him.

"No no, go ahead. I _am_ a mental patient right? The whole reason behind seeing a therapist in the first place!"

He lowered his voice, "Please don't shout."

"Stop telling me what to do Steve!" she stepped closer to him and poked his chest, "You're not my leader and I don't answer to you."

"Hey!"

Footsteps bounded down the hall at the exact moment something started to solidify between the two, gently pushing them apart, "It's unhealthy for your friendship for the two of you to argue." Vision looked to them both as Sam made it over.

"What's going on?"

"An argument, apparently."

"Thanks Vision, I think they got that."

Chelsea chuckled mockingly as she stalked to one of the couches in the common area, "We don't need to have a family meeting!"

"It's a little late for that now." Natasha was the last one down the hall and she looked more bored than usual.

Steve took a moment to calm himself. He looked at his team and he looked over at his friend, at Chelsea, with her back to everyone, both hands in her curls. He sighed, "We're good. Everyone please give us a moment."

Each person showed a sign of not wanting to leave them alone. Even Widow. Something wasn't right. Steve and Chelsea were usually in perfect tandem. They could practically read each other's minds. But in the last eight weeks that didn't seem to be the case.

"Alright. We'll go." The assassin herded everyone back down the hall.

But just there, even as they all disappeared around the corner, Chelsea felt it. The invisible push at her temple, "I'm pretty sure I asked you to tell her my mind is off limits."

"I did. Maybe she can just sense you're hiding something."

"We've been over this."

"We have. But obviously there's more to it."

"You're the one who wanted me to go to the therapist in the first place." she tossed back her head, slouching, and putting her healed feet on the coffee table, jostling the chess set there, "Now because you don't like my diagnosis I'm hiding something. It's called trauma, Cap. I'm fucking traumatized."

Her language made him wince slightly, but he heard her.

The blonde walked over and gently lifted her legs off the table. Putting his bottom in their place. "Please talk to me."

Chelsea's green eyes were turning red and she lightly bit the inside corner of her lip, "I see him everywhere. Hear him screaming." she pulled on the edge of her skirt idly, "They programmed me to protect him and my failure is tearing me apart."

"You didn't fail." If he remembered correctly, Bucky got away. Totally safe and sound god knows where; thanks to her.

She smirked, despite her rapidly moistening eyes, "Tell that to my subconscious."

"Maybe we should call Stark. He might be able to..."

The woman just shook her head, "I'm not letting anyone poke around in there anymore."

"It's only getting worse, Chelsea."

"I'm aware."

"But you don't want help."

"I did what you asked."

"Please let Stark take a look."

"What is he going to find now that he didn't find before?"

Steve reached out for her hands; she was covering her face and he wanted to see her eyes and dissolve the situation a little. The woman held his hands back, her grip rivaling his own. She was getting stronger physically and weaker mentally as the weeks passed. She'd broken a cement pillar in training when he suggested maybe she see someone. It was obvious her jumpy and agitated behavior was linked to her physical condition.

He was taking a while to answer so Chelsea sat up, still clutching his hands. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes." he answered without hesitation.

"Then why won't you listen to me?"

"I'm afraid for you."

She squeezed his hand, "I'm scared too. I am. But...trust me. All I need is a break."

* * *

"Bonjour, mademoiselle Jones, nous vous attendions." _Hello Miss Jones, we've been expecting you._

Chelsea approached the grand, gold counter in the lobby and put a silver case before the man. It was the only bag she'd brought in, as she didn't plan to stay long. She handed an envelope to the concierge as well, "Acheminez tous les appels dans ma chambre à ce numéro. Vous me verrez dans une semaine." _Route all calls to my room to this number. You'll see me in a week._

"Très bien, mademoiselle." _Very good, Miss._

The man tucked the silver case behind his counter as the woman turned on her heel and left. Outside a car waited, "Aéroport, s'il vous plaît." _Airport, please._

* * *

Sharon Carter's computer beeped at her. A special alert she recognized as a tracking order she'd set up. The first time it sounded was a little more than six hours ago, alerting her that Chelsea Jones had arrived at a resort in Chantilly, France. She paid it little attention. This time, it was alerting her of the woman's arrival in Bucharest, Romania.

She was hoping that was a glitch and requested a satellite image. It took a few heartbeats, and the image was fuzzy when it came in, but it was still discernible as her childhood friend.

"What are you doing in Bucharest, Chelsea?" she asked the screen.

The image and time stamped arrival went into a folder and the woman tried to not think too long on it. Hopefully this case she'd felt the need to build would turn out to be nothing.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

 **Twofer**

 **A/N: I'm running out of movies! Choosing how Chelsea's story will continue as I head into Civil War is driving me slightly nuts. My timeline isn't planned that far… at least not very well… I'm also enjoying writing an "I-want-everyone-to-be-happy-so-i'm-being-difficult" Steve. It's fun.**

* * *

"You let her leave."

Steve looked up from his coffee cup to the youngest avenger. Wanda Maximof stood on the other side of the counter calmly. She looked at him for a moment, waiting it seemed, for a reaction or comment which she didn't get until she turned to the cabinets.

"She deserves a break."

"She's not sick, you know."

"Then what is she?"

"Hiding something."

The blonde sighed while the young woman poured her cereal. "Chelsea has nothing to hide from us...from me."

"I think you should open your eyes. She may not mean any harm, but she _is_ hiding something. I can get you proof...soon enough."

The girl was eager to please. He'd give her that.

The people here were her new family and she'd attached herself to them as such. She trained hard, she followed directions, and she listened intently; even when nothing was being said. Any threat to her new family, no matter how small, she felt the need to address.

"You can't look into her head without permission."

"But if I find something..."

Steve stood with his mug and pushed his stool back under the counter as she sat next to him. "I don't think you will."

He rounded the corner to a nonchalant as usual Natasha. She had clearly been listening in and made no strides to hide the fact, "She seems sure."

"What do you think?"

"I think I know what it's like to have bad people and bad thoughts in your head. To have harsh dreams and forget what's real. I think Chelsea just needs to recover."

"But?"

"But, she _could_ be a threat. We can hope she comes back completely changed, but the chances of that..."

"I know. I'm still not comfortable with just looking into her head. If something is up, she'd tell me."

They crossed into the part of building that was now filled with bustling agents so Natasha dropped her voice, crossing her arms across her chest, "Chelsea is a spy no matter how you look at it. If she doesn't want you to know something, you won't know."

Steve passed his hand over the lock to his office, swinging open the door when he heard the click, "So you're suggesting she's lying to me."

"I'm suggesting that if she were, you wouldn't know the difference."

"Because she's my friend?"

"Because you care bout her." Natasha's brow perched high, daring him to deny her.

"Isn't that the same thing?"

"No Cap, it's not."

* * *

 _"You sound better."_

Chelsea Jones smiled slightly as she looked through her binoculars at the building across the street. Inside, what she was sure was the featureless figure of James Barnes moved through the space. His silhouette lit but the lights in his apartment and cast onto the covered windows. "French air does wonders."

It was simple. She never planned on actually confronting Bucky. After the last time she was here the two decided he was safer alone. Now whether or not that meant he was aware or unaware of her presence was something entirely different.

All that mattered was she could lay eyes on him, and he was safe. Even if he was aware, he didn't seem to mind or care.

 _"Every threat to the soldier is a threat you must dissolve. His life outweighs yours."_

"What did you say?"

Steve's voice came through her earpiece, _"I said, how are you?"_

She grinned, despite how she felt about what she _thought_ she'd heard.

"I feel good, actually. Some nice scenery was exactly what I needed." Of course she was talking about the glimpses she'd managed to grab of Bucky over the past three days. Not the hovel of a room she'd rented. She tossed the binoculars onto the futon, "How is everyone?"

The blonde hesitated, _"They're good, they uh, want to know when you're coming back."_

She took a moment of her own to sit on the edge of the futon and smirk, "Do you miss me, Cap?"

Another hesitation and the woman found herself reveling in the fact that he was most likely pink in the tips of his ears. It was like poking fun at a virgin most of the time.

" _You're my friend."_

It took quite a bit for the woman to not chuckle and roll her eyes. "Right."

There was a small knock on the door she barely heard. More so like a tap. She stood with the phone trapped between her head and shoulder. She used both hands to hold a pistol low as she approached and looked through the peephole.

" _Is everything alright?"_

"Fine." she answered the avenger immediately, "Room service arrived."

She opened the door cautiously and swung the gun down both lengths of the hall. It was empty, dark, and dank. Nothing new.

" _What did you get? Snails?"_ the blonde chuckled.

"Bouillabaisse, actually. You'd have to force feed me a bug."

Again the blonde laughed but the woman was now more focused on who the hell knocked on her door. Something caught her eye on the floor. It was a torn piece of paper, like from a notebook, that said simply, "Roof."

"Steve, I'm going to go. Don't want to chew in your ear."

He didn't get a word in before she tossed the phone into the room and moved down the hall to the stairs. She tried not to run, her presence here already confused some of the tenants as it were. She looked too much like she didn't belong.

The stairs she took three at a time with no problem, having to kick the chained roof access door.

The night air in Bucharest smelled like the night air in France to Chelsea. Warm, and filled with flowers and fresh foods. But the smell came second to her focus at the moment. He green eyes moved around the small roof, seeing no one- no, there was someone.

Her heart rate slowed, she took a deep breath and walked to the south side of the roof. The same side of the building her room was on; the same side of the building directly across from his.

James Buchanan Barnes felt her presence as soon as she arrived. While he'd panicked originally, it always works out to assess the situation. When there wasn't a retrieval team coming down around his ears ten minutes after he was sure he was found out… it could only be one person.

He raised his hand in a wave, and across the street, she mimicked his action.

He flexed his hands, walking closer to the edge of the building, and raised them up to his chest, _"Are you stalking me?"_

" _Putting my anxieties to rest."_

Bucky hesitated for a moment, _"Anxieties?"_

" _I needed to see with my own eyes that you were safe."_

From this far he could see in her expression the sincerity she felt. He could also see something he'd suffered from himself. _"I think you could have a better look up close."_

Even in ASL Chelsea _felt_ that. She'd hoped he'd understand why she kept her distance, per say. But what difference was there in being across the street and say, being in his arms?

The difference was that how she felt about him was part of her dangerous connection to him. It was the basis on which she was brainwashed. Her pre-existing feelings for a man who'd only existed in her grandfathers stories festered into a dangerous obsession. One they played with to turn her.

She closed her eyes and tried to just breathe.

" _Turn it up."_

" _But sir."_

 _The scientist glared at his subordinate and grabbed the knob himself, cranking it to the maximum volume he could. In the room they occupied, Strucker and his lackeys couldn't hear a thing._

 _But in the small room they were watching, Chelsea Jones could hear every decibel of James Barnes gut wrenching screams._

 _Strucker looked down at the panel beneath his fingertips, a small screen showed one of the many recorded sessions of the Winter Soldier's conditioning. Next, they'd force her to watch_ _ **and**_ _listen._

When she'd opened her eyes he was no longer on the roof. She pouted, of course, and slowly made her way back down to her room. There, she paced and counted, picked things up randomly only to put them down again.

After about ten minutes of this she grabbed the binoculars and moved to the window. Again she could see his silhouette through the newspaper.

On the futon, where her phone had landed miraculously, she could see a missed call from the number she'd set up to route from her suite in Chantilly. Steve no doubt. The old dog did have an excellent nose.

Everything was in her duffle in under five minutes. Hoodie zipped all the way and hood pulled snug over her curls. She moved across the street, trying to stay small, passing for a wandering teen before ducking into his building, up the stairs, and…

She didn't need to knock.

Bucky opened the door and made way for her to come in. She placed her bag on the sunken in couch and removed her hoodie. Her shoulders dropped, almost as if she had relaxed.

"Thank you."

The woman finally turned to him and smiled, approaching to put her forehead on his cool metal shoulder, "Just…just following through."


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

 **Home Again, Home Again**

 **A/N: *sighs in an exasperated manner* I don't even know...**

* * *

"Morning Cap."

Steve Rogers continued to jog in place as the woman approached him. Her arms crossed and hands hidden inside the sleeves of the oversized sweatshirt she wore. The Avengers "A" distorted under her limbs. "You're up early. Can't sleep?"

Chelsea smiled, "I actually think I got too much sleep. All I did while I was away was sleep and eat."

They shared a chuckle, "Want to join me?"

"I'll walk with you." she offered.

The blonde slowed his bouncing to a stop then nodded, "I'll take it."

After a few paces the woman spoke, "So I hear you didn't think I was coming back."

The Avenger rubbed the back of his neck, "When you stopped answering my calls I thought maybe something was wrong."

She couldn't help a broad grin, "I did want to enjoy my vacation. You checked in _everyday_."

He nodded, "Natasha said something about hovering being bad."

"It's ok. I half expected you to show up but I'm glad you had some faith in me."

"Of course."

"I actually want to return the favor."

 _"How do you do it?"_

 _James Barnes put his chin on the woman's head as they sat together in his small apartment. It was god-knows time of night and the city was mostly quiet. The only light in the room was leaking in from the open bathroom door. "Do what?"_

 _"Stay here alone and not go crazy?" He didn't answer so she elaborated, "I'm surrounded by people at work and at home. But I came here because despite being surrounded by people I was losing my mind."_

 _"I accepted that who I am now is dangerous to people around me." he took a moment to take a deep breath, "I think that you feel that way, but it's the opposite."_

 _"You don't think I'm a threat?"_

 _The man chuckled, "I've seen for myself that you can be. But what I mean is that you need to take advantage of the people around you. They want to help you, don't they?"_

 _"I can't help feeling like it'll effect you somehow."_

 _"Don't worry about me."_

 _The woman turned to him, slightly exasperated, "That's not fair. All I can think about is you, protecting you, and I don't think it's a bad thing."_

 _Bucky frowned deeply, "You don't think tricking people who care about you, hiding and making bribes just to come see me is bad?"_

 _She didn't; at least not until he'd said it like that._

 _"Steve is a good guy. I know that now, and I know that he always has been. Let him help you."_

 _Chelsea didn't realize she'd started crying and tried to glare at the winter soldier although she knew it wasn't working, "How can you know this is about him?"_

 _He reached for her hands, being extra careful with the strength of his left, "Because if I remember how good of a friend he was to me, I know that with how alike we are he must really care about you."_

"I've been turning down your help because I was scared."

The blonde visibly relaxed and offered her a slight smile, "I know. You're pretty headstrong like someone else I used to know."

"I want to let you help me. As much as it terrifies me." She felt vulnerable, weak even. But Bucky had been right. She went crazy because instead of accepting help, she figured she didn't need any, and things spiraled out of control.

Steve was right in front of her in two steps and her face was smushed into his chest. The hug was super close and she realized that part of what she needed was this. She held him back, just as tight thanks to her strength.

It ended rather abruptly as they awkwardly broke apart to the sounds of a training squad making their morning run around the building.

The woman clapped her hands together, "How about some breakfast?"

"Sounds good."

* * *

"You wanted to see me?"

Chelsea smiled at Wanda as she entered her office looking for all the world like a sour teenager. It almost made the older woman laugh, almost. "I did. Have a seat."

She sat and watched the other woman. The older swiped, poked, and typed away at the glass, computer like, apparatus in front of her before she sighed. Using one more motion to frost over the clear walls of her office, she stood and joined Wanda on the white couch.

"I owe you an apology."

"You do?"

"Yes I do. I realized that trying to see what I've been hiding was your way of protecting this new family you have. While my hiding was a way of doing the same. But, it's time I come clean."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I won't block you this time. Doing it was actually just causing migraines anyway so..."

The younger woman was confused and found herself showing it in her body language. Unlike Chelsea's open posture, knees pointed toward Wanda, hands in her lap. Scarlet Witch had her arms crossed, knees pointed away, and a small glare set on her face. "You _want_ me to see in your head?"

"I want you to feel safe with me around."

Just in that declaration, Wanda felt her honesty. She changed her posture, trying to open up. With a slight flex of her fingers she reached up, holding both hands on either side of Chelsea's face, but not touching the skin.

What she saw was confusing at first. Trying to place the dark haired man was hard for her as she'd never seen him before. But she could feel Chelsea's heart breaking. Then screams and electricity coursing through her hands and up her arms. She wavered, but held on. It was a confusing mix of happiness and fear, pain and sorrow. Everything snapped into place and Wanda let go, tears running down her face.

"Love is tearing you apart."

Chelsea smiled, her own eyes watering up, "Feels like obsession some days. But my own emotions were turned against me..."

"And you just want to protect him...whoever he is."

"It wasn't something I needed to hide."

The younger frowned deeply. She'd seen flashes of their leader in there too. Love was literally pulling her in two directions even though she could see that even Chelsea didn't understand it fully yet.

It explained the Captain's outlook on her though. His mind was easy to see into and half the time he didn't even feel it. It was _always_ filled with her in some way among other faces she recognized, and that dark haired man.

"Thank you."

Chelsea was slightly taken back, but pleasantly, "You don't have to thank me."

"I do. And I was wrong to try and pry like I did. You were right about this being a family for me, I don't want to lose another one."

"I understand."

Wanda stood to leave but stopped at the door, turning back as Chelsea reached her desk, clearing the walls. "I see why the Captain respects you so much."

The other woman smiled, "Really?"

She only nodded and left the office.

A small intercom on the desk clicked to life, _"That was brave."_

The Great Crusade turned her chair to the right, looking over at the glass office across the hangar from her own. Inside, Steve Rogers gave her a small wave. She reached over to the intercom and hit the button, "Thanks."

Chelsea sat there, just smiling like an idiot for a few minutes. She'd still hidden some things from Wanda, but made sure to show her enough to make her understand. As for Steve, she would stand by what Bucky said bout him.

He was a good guy.

* * *

"Friday?"

 **"Miss Jones."**

It was late. Easily three in the morning and the whole of the compound was quiet. Chelsea Jones had no way of knowing if everyone was sleeping, but all that mattered was that for now she was alone.

"Do you have Jarvis' backup files of my medical history?"

 **"Yes, I do."**

The woman closed her eyes. Bucky had spoke to her about embracing what happened, strengthening herself, and understanding that living with what she was may be the best option. She wasn't entirely sure about his approach, as she was sure a day would come where her unyielding need to protect him would surface again.

"Has there been any news on how to reverse what happened to me?"

 **"Unfortunately, no. I'm showing here that Tony has a program constantly searching the web for new ways to repair the damaged areas of your brain. Few studies had any conclusive findings. Any attempt at reversal may kill you."**

She took a deep breath, maybe it was just in her head. Or maybe she could live with it.

"Thank you, Friday."

 **"Do you need anything else, Miss Jones?"**

Chelsea stood from her desk and moved to the door, but stopped short, "Can you show me the progression?"

The Ai hesitated. Damn Tony for creating them with near human feelings, **"I can."**

"I want to see."

A floating hologram of the woman's brain appeared in the center of he room. Damaged parts from her 'conditioning' were clearly darker, near burned. As the scans phased through the spots grew in size, not by much, but enough.

 **"If I may..."**

Chelsea wiped her eyes, "Go on, Friday."

The hologram changed again, this time the damage seemed to recede. **"This is from now, Miss Jones."**

"What am I seeing?"

 **"Areas of initial damage are seemingly beyond repair. But your own personal influence is causing further damage. Whatever you did on your trip helped to ease some of the newer damage on your brain."**

The question here though was whether giving in and seeing him helped ease her mind, or if it was choosing to try and let it go. "I understand. That's enough. Please keep these findings between us."

 **"Yes, Miss Jones."**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

 **Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes**

 **A/N: Crunched quite a bit of actual filler timeline together. Most of these events happen months apart and in a completely different order. But hey, I run this show. *evil laughter***

* * *

"I can't keep a secret I know nothing about, Sam."

 _"Yes you can. You don't know so you can't say anything."_

"Look, you asked me to come with you." Chelsea Jones sipped a lemonade from outside a small cafe across the street from a park bench where Sam Wilson sat with his hands folded in his lap, "I think it's only fair I know why I'm here."

 _"I small man attacked me at the compound while you were away."_

She laughed, "How small are we talking?"

 _"Ant size?"_

"An ant sized man attacked you at the compound? Randomly?"

 _"He took something out of the old wing of the building; tripped the motion alarms. I went out but he disengaged my suit from the inside."_

The woman laughed again, "That's embarrassing. Who else knows?"

 _"Hill. The device stolen makes no difference to us. Outdated technology apparently. But..."_

"You want payback?"

 _"I need to find out who it was."_

She was thoroughly amused at this point, "Am I here to protect you from an ant man?"

 _"No...just keep an eye out."_

"For ants?"

 _"Chelsea..."_

His warning trailed out as she laughed and politely turned down the waitress's offer for a refill. She watched as a woman sat next to him on the bench and he turned towards her. The lens in her right eye buzzed a bit as it zoomed into them, she blinked calmly and felt the shutter release. She sighed and spoke low, "Well, nothing on facial recognition...yet."

She moved her eye over them and their general area, "No ant man either."

Sam adjusted his posture abruptly in response and the woman laughed. She rolled her eye around in it's socket, "Remind me to tell Stark these things _do_ hurt."

After a moment the girl got up and left and Sam stood. Shoving both hands in his pockets, _"Jones?"_

"What?"

 _"Tell Stark that those things hurt."_

Chelsea waited until he was in front of her to reply, "You're _so_ funny."

"I know. C'mon."

"Already? Did she have anything for you?"

"Unfortunately not. But she'll find out."

She followed next to him as they approached her car. "I get to know when you find out right?"

"I'll think about it."

* * *

"Did he learn anything?"

"Zip."

Maria Hill held several folders in her arms as she greeted the woman in the garage of the building. "He made me swear not to tell Steve."

"Oh, I'm definitely telling."

"No you're not!" Sam approached the women and crossed his arms in a huff.

Chelsea chuckled, "You must have something on me to keep me quiet then?"

He looked off to the side, then up to the ceiling, making the women laugh again, "I thought so."

"You're cruel, Jones." He left the two to walk ahead of them into the building.

Maria nudged the other and handed her the files, "These are for you."

"Oh joy."

"And here I thought you were bored."

"I _am_ bored." they waited for an automatic door to slide open and entered the lower level of the building, "I just wasn't looking to paperwork as something interesting to do."

"We could always switch jobs."

"It's babysitting either way. If you want the bigger babies, you are more than welcome."

Maria smiled as she stole a glance at the woman as she flipped through the folders, "I think they'd miss you."

"I guess. We haven't had something to do in...six months...is this right?"

Chelsea Jones came to a full stop in the hallway. Startling Maria a little as the look on the other woman's face was of clear shock. She lead the other female onward down the hall, "Its accurate. As of this morning."

"And Shield is..."

"Tying up some loose ends I assume." Maria actually had no idea what was going on with what was left of Shield. Fury went ghost after Sokovia and no one's usual lines of communication were even up anymore.

They started walking again.

"Well I guess they don't call it Hell's Kitchen for nothing."

The security footage stills were fuzzy, as to be expected. But what she was seeing were definitely several enhanced and... ninjas? She put the papers back in their folders, "It's something to keep on the back-burner though."

"Right." Maria crossed her arms as the other woman entered the elevator. "Steve's in the training room."

The doors closed and Chelsea waved a hand sort of absently. Hell's Kitchen huh? That place couldn't catch a break. But it wasn't the only place of its kind. At least not the only place having some strange problems. Harlem had popped up on her radar several months ago. Something about a bulletproof man.

The automatic door to her office slid open as she approached and without peeling her eyes away from the reports she sat at her desk.

 **"Miss Jones?"**

She still didn't really look up, "Yes Friday?"

 **"I have messages for you from Mr. Stark and your mother. As well as a request from Mr. Rogers that you meet him in the training room."**

Chelsea finally put the papers down, "Right. Um, let's hear the messages first."

 _"Jones! I hope your trip was as rejuvenating as you deserved! Hope the babysitting is going well."_ she chuckled, _"I have a proposition for you to consider, although I know you won't say no. Call me."_

 _"Chelsea your mother is getting lonely and the studio is getting dusty! Come help me clean this place and spend some time with me. Maybe you could teach a class or two? Call your mother more!"_

Everybody wanted her to do something.

 **"Should I call either of them back?"**

"Tony, please."

 **"And Captain Rogers?"**

The woman finally looked over at where his glass office sat across the hangar. It was empty, of course. "He'll have to wait."

The phone was answered first ring, _"Jones!"_

"How are you Tony?"

" _You know me."_ he chuckled, _"But I'm a little lonely in this empty tower."_

"Lonely? When your ego is your greatest companion? Where's Miss Potts?"

"… _working. As usual."_

"Sure." Chelsea tapped on her desk to bring up video. What she saw she wasn't expecting. "What… the hell?"

" _Invasion of privacy much?"_

There were papers everywhere. What was usually the bar and comfy couch level of his building was littered in papers and gadgets. "Tony. Tell me something..."

" _It's a project I have for you."_

The women sighed, "Why does everyone keep giving me so much paperwork?"

The man smirked at her, _"Who said this wouldn't be a fun project? Did you forget who I am?"_

"Well…" she trailed off as her office door opened and Steve entered with his brows raised, ", maybe a little."

" _See you soon."_

The blonde waited until her attention was on him to speak, "Did no one tell you I was waiting in the training room?"

"Everyone told me. This seemed more important."

"Stark is retired."

" _Tony_ is taking a break."

"Then why does he need to see you?"

She smiled at him and rounded her desk, "Jealous?"

"Just worried about whatever it is he may want you to do."

The woman beckoned him to join her on the couch in the corner of her office, somewhat facing her desk, "What do you need from me Steve?"

"To know how badly you forgot about tonight?"

She paled. She'd told him a month ago she'd be his date for the opening of his expanded Smithsonian exhibit. She had completely forgotten. Maybe she was busier than she thought she was.

"I'm sorry Cap."

He just smiled at her, completely unbothered, "I knew you'd forget. Do you at least remember what I asked you?"

"I do now."

"I think the world deserves to meet you as his granddaughter."

She took a deep breath and released it more shakily than she meant. "It's scary."

"Why?"

A chuckle, "Because Cap, I'm not exactly a star granddaughter. What exactly have I done for the Howling Commando's legacy?"

Steve reached out for her hand, enclosing it in both of his, "You are everything your grandfather, the commandos, or even I could ever hope for in a legacy Chelsea."

There was a knock on the glass that made them jump just a touch, bumping knees from sitting so closely. His grip was still firm when she pulled her hand away and beckoned Maria in. "Sorry to interrupt."

"No, it's ok. You have something for me?"

"Just add-ons to what I gave you earlier."

Chelsea accepted the folder and Steve stood, leaving the office without a word. Maria watched him go then turned back to the other woman, who was still seated, "Is everything ok?"

"Yeah. It's just that I remember a time where _he_ was the one nervous about a party."

* * *

"You ready?"

"As I'll ever be I guess."

Steve Rogers held out his hand for Chelsea Jones as he lent down into the car. Somehow she could hear his voice clearly over the shouting reporters and screams of fans. It was possibly the most deafening experience she'd encountered. Especially once she was away form the shielding of the car. Lights from cameras bounced off the glitter of her black dress and now she felt all eyes on her.

" _That's her! A living Howling Commando!"_

" _This way Miss Jones! Captain America this way!"_

The blonde's arm secured around her waist and she sighed in relief, letting him move her past the reporters. She tried to at least smile politely, although she had no intention of answering their intruding questions.

" _Why did you let Shield lie for you!"_

" _Why the name change!"_

" _Did your grandfather ask you to join Shield!"_

" _What happened to you during the Shield takeover!"_

Inside the Smithsonian it took her a moment to catch her breath. She could still see the flashes of camera's going off behind her eyelids as she held them closed. But all the while she felt Steve right at her side.

"Chelsea…"

"I guess they think I was ashamed."

"No one thinks that."

"I just didn't want to let anybody down."

Steve smiled at her, removing his protective arm and instead offering his elbow. She took it and his smile turned to more of a grin, "The worst is over."

"If you say so."

"I do. There's someone I want you to meet."

Chelsea followed, expecting some veteran or some such to tell her a story about her grandfather. What she got was close but so much better.

"Chelsea, this is John Morita."

She recognized that name and was a little dumb struck shaking his hand, "M-Morita? As in _Jim_ Morita?"

The man smiled wide at the woman, "My grandfather. I'm very glad to meet you Miss Jones, I really respect your chosen path and wanted to thank you."

"Thank me?"

"I decided to be a teacher… a principle actually, at Midtown. Sometimes I would wonder what it would've been like to follow my Grandfathers path. I wasn't really brave enough, but you were."

The woman was doing an excellent job of holding back tears, "I don't know about bravery…"

"Please, Miss Jones." he shook her hand again, "It really does mean a lot to me, and I'm sure to my grandfather too."

Chelsea was still reeling as he exchanged a few words with Steve before rejoining the rest of the party attendees to view the expanded exhibit. The avenger rubbed her shoulder with his thumb and she seemed to wake up, "How…"

"He wrote me a letter a while back. I figured it was only fair he get an invite to this thing so I made some calls."

"And he wanted to talk to me?"

"Obviously."

She thumped his chest lightly before gently touching her own forehead, "That was unreal." she broke into a smile, "That was crazy. I didn't think-"

"There was anyone else?"

Besides her and Sharon? No, "My grandfather never said anything about it. I only ever grew up knowing my Aunt Peggy."

His expression changed just slightly and he gave her his elbow again, "Let's go see what the fuss is about?"

"After you."

Talk about his newest exploits was nonstop. Everyone wanted to shake his hand either in congratulations or thanks. Chelsea was completely captivated. Once there was a time where she took every precaution against having anything to do with him and now she couldn't imagine life without him. She had to admit he was her hero, her partner, her best friend...

He didn't notice the hands no longer at his elbow just long enough for her to get out of sight.

Chelsea Jones felt like she did when they told her they'd found him. When she saw him sleeping in that staged room. Her stomach dropped and her chest tightened up... Secretly she wanted him to open his eyes. It hadn't felt real.

 _"Friends since childhood..."_

She'd wandered off into the older part of the exhibit. And as she looked Bucky's face she really hadn't meant to start crying.

 _"Steve is a good guy. I know that now, and I know that he always has been. Let him help you."_

Right now, _help_ seemed like something else.

"Hey. Are you alright?"

Damn those concerned blue eyes. "I was just a little overwhelmed."

"By?" Steve stepped a touch closer.

She looked terrified and took a tiny step back.

After a deep breath she said, "By you." Then her shoulders dropped, almost as if she was finally saying something she'd been meaning to say, "I always have been. I went to stupid lengths for you to not even know me and now...you're my best friend and it's overwhelming."

She laughed through her tears when he broke into a smile, "This isn't supposed to be amusing. I'm emoting old man."

Now Steve was overwhelmed. He had already found himself constantly overwhelmed by Chelsea Jones, but it was a welcome feeling, "I love you, Chelsea."

Her smile didn't drop, but she waited until her giggles cleared up and wiped her eyes, nodding, "I love you too."


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

 **Quickie**

 **A/N: *THE WORLDS LONGEST AND MOST FRUSTRATED GROAN***

* * *

"Miss Carter?"

Sharon looked up at the agent standing in the doorway of her office, muting the video on her television, "Yes?"

"Your meeting is in ten minutes."

She sighed heavily and audibly, "Right. Thanks."

The woman restarted the video she'd been watching. Coverage of the new Captain America exhibit, his arrival, and who he'd arrived with.

Several glamorous looking images were up behind the reporter who kept referring to the woman as _"One of few decedents of Captain America's Howling commandos from WWII."_ and the, _"Perfect choice of woman to have on his arm."_

She didn't want to play the bitter rival, so she wouldn't.

Chelsea wasn't just a childhood friend to Sharon, she was blood despite the lack of actual blood relation.

What really hurt was what she was keeping from everyone.

Even if it was for the protection of someone else.

After another long look at the images on the newscast, she grabbed her papers and headed down the hall. She entered a room full of sour looking men. Each of them turning their gaze from the briefs before them to her.

Everett Ross nodded once curtly at her, "Please Miss Carter. We would all like to hear why Chelsea Jones should be allowed to continue to operate as a treasonous spy."

* * *

"There's no way this is legal."

 _"But I never used the word 'legal', I said it would be fun."_

"As if almost going to jail forever for treason wasn't already a recent issue for me."

 _"Don't get caught."_

"That's not super helpful, Tony."

 _"Well you're having fun aren't you?"_

Chelsea looked over the edge of the glass building and checked her harness again, "I won't lie to you, it's been a while."

 _"I figured, sitting behind a desk doesn't suit you."_

"You gave me the job."

 _"It was that or jail, Jones."_

"Hence my hesitation."

 _"...Something is off with you."_

"I have a lot on my mind."

 _"Oh?"_

She took a deep breath and thought about the night before. She'd told Steve they'd talk when she got back. "I'd rather not discuss it with you, actually."

 _"Ouch."_

 **"Building scan complete. Top ten floors are empty and have been locked down by security. It's now or never Miss Jones."**

She stretched her arms over her head, interlocking the fingers and leaning backwards dramatically; it really had been a _long_ while. Chelsea stepped over the edge of the building and effortlessly dropped about five stories. She slowed herself to a stop with a subtle weight shift and was only slightly surprised by herself for remembering how to do it.

 _"Still alive?"_

"For now. I am still about twenty stories from the ground though." The woman reached for one of the many pockets on her combat pants and pulled out a pair of gloves. She steadied herself with her toes on the cement just outside the glass. "Here we go."

Her gloved hands were placed on the glass and in the next few heartbeats the window was practically sugar on the floor of the hallway. Chelsea touched down and unclipped from the line, "That's handy."

 _"They vibrate the glass at a frequency so high you get a silent break."_

"And a huge mess."

 **"Should I add an update to the list sir?"**

It took the genius a while to answer, _"...yeah. Thanks Friday."_

Chelsea chuckled as she moved down the hall. Her gaze turned the floor into a blueprint. She hadn't even felt the lens in her eye make the adjustment, "Good job on the lens though."

" _I personally don't think the sting of the previous model was that bad."_

" **We recorded partial vision loss in the trial for that pair sir."**

"And you let me wear them anyway!" Chelsea hissed.

" _Friday, why don't you run scans of the building for a while."_

" **Of course sir."**

Chelsea continued on down the halls shaking her head. She swapped out the pulse gloves for a regular leather pair and stopped when the hallway branched off. A sweep of her gaze showed her a pulsing blue dot to her right and about a floor down. "Need the stairs…"

The blueprint in her gaze brought up another point and it pulsed orange dead ahead. The stairwell.

* * *

"We're all aware of her accomplishments Miss Carter. What we want to hear is how these past accomplishments are supposed to remedy what she's done."

Behind Sharon a screen that had been filled with Chelsea's successful mission reports signed by many powerful people changed to stills of the damage she'd dealt at the Canadian border and again at the shipyard. A picture of the Shield agent she'd killed in Europe was the last thing she looked over her shoulder at, "I get that these things are horrible but what I want you to understand is that it wasn't Chelsea. She wasn't herself."

"We've seen the reports from Mister Stark. But she's been behaving suspiciously recently."

"She's been to _Paris_." Sharon pushed, "With the receipts and luxurious hotel stays to prove it."

"Chelsea Commons has also been to Bucharest has she not? You yourself tracked her there and requested satellite feeds."

Sharon took a deep breath, "That was inconclusive. I don't know why she went there." A lie.

"Looks like you need to find out."

She tried to stop them as they started to stand. All clearly unsatisfied, "What Hydra did to her-"

"Could have very well turned her into one of them. She's a ticking bomb just like the Winter Soldier. We can't just wait."

The men stood and filed out of the room. The blonde closed her eyes and breathed, "Dammit, Chelsea..."

* * *

"This isn't the right room."

 _"What? Yes it is."_

Chelsea swept her gaze over the room, breaking it down into the planks and pipes in the walls with the help of the lenses in her eyes. "Tony all I have is an empty wall safe."

 **"Secondary building scan complete. I have located a web signature in the basement. Our target is being tested in the labs."**

 _"It's hooked up...which means there's someone watching it. Which-"_

"Which means I get to do this my way now. Sorry Tony."

He sighed, _"So much for my venture into the world of contract missions."_

The woman's face screwed up as she walked back into the hall and approached the elevator. "Is that what this was?"

 _"What can I say, I regret giving you up to the Avengers...but they needed you."_

"You're an Avenger Tony."

"..."

When he didn't answer she went about her business, "Hey Friday, think you can bring me elevator four?"

 **"Of course I can."**

 _"That's not exactly stealthy."_

She pulled a mask out of one of her many pockets as the doors opened. She didn't turn when she entered and said, "Stealth isn't really an option. The ducts are too small running vertically and they stop at the lobby."

 _"So you're going to strut out the elevator and do what exactly?"_

The walls in the box were mirrored. The woman smirked at her own reflection, strapping the mask designed after _his_ onto her face.

"I'm going to get what you sent me here for."

* * *

 _ **"Following a break-in last night Chicago Robotics Lab, Ability Bio, will be closing it's doors. The break-in revealed that they were studying dangerous materials said to be linked to the Sokovia incident a year ago. We have reached out to Shield as it now stands as a government operated devision, but we have yet to receive comment."**_

"Of course it made the news..." Chelsea trailed off as Tony leaned forward in his seat and turned off the tiny television.

The black car they were in basically drove itself so they sat in the back, away from the eyes of the world behind dark tinted windows. The "dangerous materials" in question safely locked in the trunk. Only to be unlocked by one of their fingerprints.

"It just could have gone better." Tony put his chin in his hand and watched the highway zip by.

The woman sighed. "Look, Ability went through black market channels to get that arm. Good intentions or no they exposed a dangerous weapon. We have it and can get rid of it."

Tony looked over at her, "I'm just trying to do the right thing."

Chelsea pat his knee with a grin, "As always."

"Thanks Jones."

"You're keeping me out of solitary confinement for the rest of my life so literally any time."

He chuckled then took a moment to poke around on his phone. Chelsea did the same, smiling to herself as she saw that the Captain called her a couple times.

"That's adorable." the billionaire commented.

"Shut up."

 **"Sir. There's a vehicle approaching our rear at an alarming pace."**

The woman didn't miss a beat and looked over her shoulder to the rear window. "Accelerate!"

But the command didn't come fast enough as a black SUV slammed into their bumper. Both she and Tony were thrown against the front seats. "Damn!" The Avenger shouted, "This is my only prototype!"

The woman rolled her eyes as she quickly shrugged off her jacket. "Friday, who's in that car?"

 **"Checking...five men. Weapons detected."**

Chelsea's voice came a little muffled as she folded herself between the front seats into the driver's position. "So not a fender-bender. Great. Weapons array."

 **"Command denied."**

"Why?"

Tony gathered himself, buckling in, "This is a luxury ride not a tank!"

"Dammit Tony! Fury had a Lincoln with a canon in the center console and this piece of shit-!" She was cut off as the truck rammed them again. "Friday, give me control of the car!"

 **"Auto-pilot disengaged."**

Tony Stark held onto his seatbelt for sheer life. One would think rattling around inside the Ironman suit would make him impervious to a rough car ride...but that would be incorrect. "Where are we going?"

Chelsea gripped the steering wheel and looked in the rearview mirror, "I don't know. Right now we shake them...if we can."

"If?"

"They know what we have in this car... Which means you know who that is."

The man took a deep breath and looked over his shoulder. Hydra was in that truck. The woman kept her eyes on the road; blocking out the honking horns of scared and disgruntled citizens and trying not to think about the people in the cars that truck was just smashing into.

"Tony can you get to the trunk from here?"

"No.

A deep sigh, "Is this car armored?"

"..."

"Damn. Are you prepared for this in the slightest?"

She looked back up into the rearview and his expression made her forget for a moment that they were in danger. It was the look he had when he realized what he'd created with Ultron. When Steve turned on him...when they all did...


End file.
